DANVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky School for the Deaf (KSD) has been working to ensure COVID-19 doesn’t change how students communicate, by providing clear masks. 

Principal Toyah Robey said students returned to campus in August, after a year of adjusting to the pandemic. 

“We had about 48 hours notice that we were going to go home virtual when COVID was coming on quickly," Robey said. "It was a learning curve for us. We made sure that we delivered computers all over the state to all of our students, and our teachers learned platforms such as Google and Zoom." 

The school has more than 60 students who are deaf or hard of hearing, from preschool through grade 12. 

KSD ordered a new type of clear mask this year to be more comfortable for students and staff, Robey said. 

"We want to make sure that our kids are safe with the mask, but we also want to make sure that communication is not compromised in that the clear masks offer that opportunity to make sure that all things are clear," she said. 

Students at the school shared their thoughts about the masks with Spectrum News 1 through an American Sign Language interpreter. 

“If people are wearing masks that aren’t clear, it’s hard to see if somebody’s laughing or smiling, so we have to rely a lot on body language in order to understand what’s going on because the masks prevent us from seeing people’s facial expressions," said Micah Tucker, a junior.

"It’s really easier to see the faces and the grammar on deaf people," said Derek Reyes, a fourth-grader. "You can see when people are happy, you can see when people are sad."