The North Idaho College Board of Trustees will meet today to discuss the institution's mask mandate and college president contract.

NIC President Rick MacLennan announced the return of a mask mandate that requires students, staff and visitors to wear double-layer face coverings while inside college buildings when two or more people are present.

MacLennan said the NIC administration decided to implement the mandate considering the rise in state COVID-19 cases, the Delta variant and reports from Kootenai Health of capacity concerns.

"We have an obligation to provide a safe and secure environment for students to get their education, and so part of our belief in making this decision is to ensure for those students who want to be face-to-face that they have a safe environment," said Graydon Stanley, vice president for student services. "And for our employees, a mask mandate makes sense."

The board of trustees reviews the three-year NIC president contracts on an annual basis. As president, MacLennan is hired by the trustees, and his contract renewal is dependent on board approval.

The special meeting will be held in the Boswell Hall Schuler Performing Arts Center at 3 p.m. Masks must be worn by attendees.

Community members are free to attend in person or through Zoom. The full agenda and Zoom registration information is found at www.nic.edu/board/.