Schools ditch student mask requirements in growing numbers
3 years, 7 months ago

Schools ditch student mask requirements in growing numbers

Associated Press  

As a lengthy, bitter fight over mask requirements for students neared its conclusion, the chairperson of a Florida school board announced that she would agree to lift a mandate that had been in place since September even though she preferred leaving it in place until the end of the academic year. “This is Santa Rosa County, America, not China!” Moments later, the Santa Rosa school board voted unanimously to make masks optional for all grades effective immediately, joining dozens of other U.S, communities in declaring that masks were or would soon no longer be mandatory for students. “I am so frustrated.I don’t see any harm in wearing masks, and there is potential harm in not wearing a mask,” said Christie Black, the mother of a kindergartner and a third grader in Mesa, Arizona, who was puzzled by the decision of the state’s largest school district to make masks optional indoors starting earlier this month. The CDC has said that while schools haven’t been associated with substantial spread, outbreaks in schools not following infection-prevention measures “tend to result in increased transmission among teachers and school staff rather than among students.” Black continues to send her two children to school with masks but says “they flung their masks off” as soon as they saw classmates no longer covering their faces. “It’s your own job to protect yourself and your own family.” Santa Rosa County district leaders emphasized they were following public health guidance, but state officials undercut that position even as public pressure built locally.

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History of this topic

Federal court dismisses case against Iowa governor’s ban on school mask mandates
9 months, 3 weeks ago

Federal court dismisses case against Iowa governor’s ban on school mask mandates

Associated Press  

DES MOINES, Iowa — A federal court on Tuesday dismissed a legal challenge to Iowa Gov. The ruling marks the conclusion of the yearslong court battle, originating in the fall of 2021 with a lawsuit alleging that Reynolds violated federal disability law by preventing schools from adopting mask mandates as an accommodation for students with disabilities. Rita Bettis Austen, ACLU …

Mask mandate dropped for school campuses
1 year, 9 months ago

Mask mandate dropped for school campuses

China Daily  

Students and teachers are no longer required to wear masks on campuses, according to the latest COVID-19 epidemic control plan for schools and universities. No mass nucleic acid testing should be carried out at universities, yet they can conduct antigen tests or nucleic acid tests on staff members such as medical workers and canteen staff, the plan said. The plan …

Mask mandate dropped for school campuses
1 year, 9 months ago

Mask mandate dropped for school campuses

China Daily  

Students attend their first class after winter break at Beijing Huajiadi Experimental Primary School on Feb 13, 2023. Students and teachers are no longer required to wear masks on campuses, according to the latest COVID-19 epidemic control plan for schools and universities. No mass nucleic acid testing should be carried out at universities, yet they can conduct antigen tests or …

Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved
2 years, 7 months ago

Even as COVID cases rise, mask mandates stay shelved

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — An increase in COVID-19 infections around the U.S. has sent more cities into new high-risk categories that are supposed to trigger indoor mask wearing, but much of the country is stopping short of bringing back restrictions amid deep pandemic fatigue. In New York City, cases are again rising and this week crossed the city’s threshold for “medium …

Mask mandates return to US college campuses as cases rise
2 years, 8 months ago

Mask mandates return to US college campuses as cases rise

Associated Press  

The final weeks of the college school year have been disrupted yet again by COVID-19 as universities bring back mask mandates, switch to online classes and scale back large gatherings in response to upticks in coronavirus infections. But several Northeast cities have seen a rise in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, as the BA.2 subvariant of the omicron variant …

Philadelphia to end mask mandate, days after reinstating it
2 years, 8 months ago

Philadelphia to end mask mandate, days after reinstating it

Associated Press  

Philadelphia is ending its indoor mask mandate, city health officials said Thursday night, abruptly reversing course just days after people in the city had to start wearing masks again amid a sharp increase in infections. to say it appears that we no longer need to mandate masks in Philadelphia and that we can actually move to simply a strong recommendation.” …

Mask mandates return to U.S. college campuses as cases rise
2 years, 8 months ago

Mask mandates return to U.S. college campuses as cases rise

LA Times  

Signs indicating that protective face masks must be worn in classrooms are displayed outside lecture halls at Columbia University in New York. But several Northeast cities have seen a rise in cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, as the BA.2 subvariant of the Omicron variant continues to rapidly spread throughout the U.S. “As much as we would like to move …

Philadelphia ends indoor mask mandate just days after reinstating it
2 years, 8 months ago

Philadelphia ends indoor mask mandate just days after reinstating it

LA Times  

A store in Philadelphia advises customers that masks are required as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus. Philadelphia is ending its indoor mask mandate, city health officials said Thursday night, abruptly reversing course just days after people in the city had to start wearing masks again amid a sharp increase in coronavirus infections. to say it appears that …

Justice Dept. to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
2 years, 8 months ago

Justice Dept. to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said. The CDC said in a statement that it is its “continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary for the …

Justice Dept. to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate
2 years, 8 months ago

Justice Dept. to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said Wednesday. The CDC said in a statement Wednesday that it is its “continuing assessment that at this time an order requiring masking in the indoor transportation corridor remains necessary …

Feds will appeal mask ruling only if mandate still needed
2 years, 8 months ago

Feds will appeal mask ruling only if mandate still needed

Associated Press  

The Justice Department said Tuesday it will not appeal a federal district judge’s ruling that ended the nation’s federal mask mandate on public transit unless the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes the requirement is still necessary. In a statement released a day after a Florida judge ended the sweeping mandate, which required face coverings on planes and trains …

Pilots announce mask mandate has been dropped mid-flight in US, angering passengers
2 years, 8 months ago

Pilots announce mask mandate has been dropped mid-flight in US, angering passengers

The Independent  

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Plane passengers in the US are reporting that some pilots announced the country’s federal mask mandate …

L.A. Unified to lift indoor mask mandate next week in agreement with teachers union
2 years, 9 months ago

L.A. Unified to lift indoor mask mandate next week in agreement with teachers union

LA Times  

Alberto Carvalho talks with science students at Washington Preparatory High School in South L.A. Please consider your situation and do what is best for you or your child.” The district also agreed to: Maintain a supply of high-grade masks and provide them to employees upon request “Strongly encourage” indoor masking “at every school and worksite through ongoing communications” Maintain a …

Chicago Public Schools drop mask requirement in classrooms
2 years, 9 months ago

Chicago Public Schools drop mask requirement in classrooms

Associated Press  

CHICAGO — Chicago Public Schools will stop requiring face masks for staff and students in the nation’s third-largest school district starting March 14, officials announced Monday. “CPS was one of the first to require universal masking in schools, and we would not be moving to a mask-optional model unless the data and our public health experts indicated that it is …

Florida Gov DeSantis berates students for wearing masks
2 years, 9 months ago

Florida Gov DeSantis berates students for wearing masks

Associated Press  

TAMPA, Fla. — A visibly annoyed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis admonished a group of high school students for wearing face masks at an indoor news conference Wednesday, saying it was time to stop what he called “this COVID theater.” The Republican governor approached the students and asked them to remove their masks as they waited for him at the press …

Masks optional in many New York schools after mandate ends
2 years, 9 months ago

Masks optional in many New York schools after mandate ends

Associated Press  

BUFFALO, N.Y. — School districts across New York state, including many of the largest, made mask wearing optional for students and staff beginning Wednesday as a statewide mandate came to an end. “I thought it was good because I could finally breathe better.” In New York City, which has the nation’s largest school district, an indoor mask mandate is expected …

Lamont: About 85% of Connecticut schools dropping mask rule
2 years, 9 months ago

Lamont: About 85% of Connecticut schools dropping mask rule

Associated Press  

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and the head of state’s association of school superintendents say about 85% to 90% of school districts across the state have elected to drop mandatory face mask wearing as of Monday, the day when local officials were allowed to decide whether to extend the state’s mask mandate. “I do have a mom …

Mask mandates are being ditched by more states and schools. But a decision on public transportation is still up in the air
2 years, 9 months ago

Mask mandates are being ditched by more states and schools. But a decision on public transportation is still up in the air

CNN  

CNN — Even some of the most ardent supporters of Covid-19 precautions are ditching mask mandates as health officials release new guidelines and hospitalizations plummet. Dr. Mark Ghaly, state Health and Human Services Agency secretary, said he’s “pleased with how the data has come down.” Los Angeles County is aligning itself with California’s new masking guidance by no longer requiring …

L.A. County will align with state to end school mask mandate after March 11
2 years, 9 months ago

L.A. County will align with state to end school mask mandate after March 11

LA Times  

New L.A. schools Supt. Alberto Carvalho talks with masked students after teaching part of a biology class during a February visit to Fremont High School in South L.A. Los Angeles County health officials on Monday said they will align with the state’s move to end indoor school masking requirements after March 11, giving officials in the county’s 80 schools districts …

New York to lift statewide school mask mandate by March 2
2 years, 9 months ago

New York to lift statewide school mask mandate by March 2

Associated Press  

NEW YORK — New York’s statewide masking requirement in schools will be lifted by March 2, Gov. Hours later, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said he’s considering lifting vaccine mandates on restaurants, bars and theaters by early next week if infections and hospitalizations continue their downward trend. A mask mandate on the city’s approximately 1 million schoolchildren could also …

Governor Kathy Hochul says New York indoor school mask mandate to be lifted this week
2 years, 9 months ago

Governor Kathy Hochul says New York indoor school mask mandate to be lifted this week

CNN  

CNN — New York will no longer require students to wear masks in schools beginning on Wednesday, Gov. Counties and cities that have a higher rate of Covid-19 transmission have the “flexibility” to keep the mask requirement in schools, Hochul said, and parents and guardians may still send their children to school in masks. “If we see no unforeseen spikes …

L.A. school district lifts outdoor mask mandate for students and staff
2 years, 10 months ago

L.A. school district lifts outdoor mask mandate for students and staff

LA Times  

The Los Angeles Unified School District lifts outdoor masking requirements for students and staff. The Los Angeles Unified School District on Tuesday dropped its outdoor mask mandate after the county allowed K-12 schools to lift the requirement last week. San Diego Unified, the state’s second-largest school system, lifted its outdoor mask mandate Wednesday. Los Angeles County has not yet followed …

Glenn Youngkin, Virginia governor, signs bill allowing parents to opt out of school mask mandates
2 years, 10 months ago

Glenn Youngkin, Virginia governor, signs bill allowing parents to opt out of school mask mandates

CNN  

CNN — Virginia Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill Wednesday that allows parents to opt their children out of school mask mandates. Youngkin had campaigned on rolling back Virginia’s Covid-19 restrictions and giving parents more agency in their children’s education, but the order he signed on his first day in office was met with lawsuits from Virginia school districts …

California delays decision on lifting school mask mandate
2 years, 10 months ago

California delays decision on lifting school mask mandate

Associated Press  

Gavin Newsom delayed a closely watched decision on lifting California’s school mask mandate Monday, even as other Democratic governors around the country have dropped them in recent weeks. But the teachers’ stance was made clear minutes after Ghaly finished speaking, when the powerful California Teachers Association issued a statement praising the “cautious approach to masking.” “We know that masking, strong …

California to keep mask mandate in schools as indoor mandate ends
2 years, 10 months ago

California to keep mask mandate in schools as indoor mandate ends

CNN  

CNN — Just one day before California is set to relax a statewide mask mandate for vaccinated people in indoor public spaces, the state’s top health official announced that masks will still be required in schools. There will be no change to the school requirement, Health & Human Services Agency Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced at a press conference Monday. …

Maryland governor calls to end school mask requirement
2 years, 10 months ago

Maryland governor calls to end school mask requirement

Associated Press  

Larry Hogan called on the State Board of Education on Thursday to stop requiring face coverings in schools. “A growing number of medical professionals, parents, and bipartisan state officials throughout the nation are calling for an end to school mask requirements,” the Republican governor wrote in a letter to Clarence Crawford, the board’s president. “If these trends are not reversed …

As states drop school mask mandates, health experts clash on whether it's too soon
2 years, 10 months ago

As states drop school mask mandates, health experts clash on whether it's too soon

Salon  

As U.S. omicron case numbers drop from their January peak, some states with in-person instruction have started to drop their mask mandates for schools. Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases and associate professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of California, Davis, agreed that it's too early for schools to lift their mask mandates. Blumberg noted that …

As state mask rules end, school leaders are in the middle
2 years, 10 months ago

As state mask rules end, school leaders are in the middle

Associated Press  

As some of the last statewide mask mandates in the U.S. near an end, decisions about whether students and teachers should continue to wear masks in school are shifting to local leaders, who are caught in the middle of one of the most combustible issues of the pandemic. If the decision had to be made right away, he said, his …

US state mask mandates to expire, creating tensions for schools
2 years, 10 months ago

US state mask mandates to expire, creating tensions for schools

Al Jazeera  

School board meeting have devolved into shouting matches and arrests over whether masks should be worn. “We can’t allow those individual passions to decide the debate.” The issue of masks in schools has been so contentious in much of the country that school board meetings have devolved into shouting matches and arrests, superintendents have seen protesters outside their homes, and …

California will lift mask mandate as omicron cases fall
2 years, 10 months ago

California will lift mask mandate as omicron cases fall

Associated Press  

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California will end its indoor masking requirement for vaccinated people next week but masks still are the rule for schoolchildren, state health officials announced Monday amid rapidly falling coronavirus cases. Local governments can continue their own indoor masking requirements and last week Los Angeles County’s health officials said they intend to keep theirs in place beyond the …

Governors in 4 states plan for end to school mask mandates
2 years, 10 months ago

Governors in 4 states plan for end to school mask mandates

Associated Press  

TRENTON, N.J. — The governors of four states announced plans Monday to lift statewide mask requirements in schools by the end of February or March, citing the rapid easing of COVID-19′s omicron surge. Phil Murphy called the move “a huge step back to normalcy for our kids” and said individual school districts will be free to continue requiring masks after …

Analysis: Democratic governors outpace White House with masking pullbacks
2 years, 10 months ago

Analysis: Democratic governors outpace White House with masking pullbacks

CNN  

CNN — A rush of moves by Democratic states laying out timelines to lift mask mandates is leaving a cautious White House behind and hiking pressure on top government health officials to codify an Omicron endgame. On Monday alone, three Democratic governors – in New Jersey, Delaware and Connecticut – and the public health department in Oregon set timelines to …

New Jersey school mask mandates are set to end in 2nd week of March
2 years, 10 months ago

New Jersey school mask mandates are set to end in 2nd week of March

NPR  

New Jersey school mask mandates are set to end in 2nd week of March New Jersey's governor is calling for a return to "normal" as the state's COVID cases start to fall. ARI SHAPIRO, HOST: New Jersey will no longer require students and school employees to wear masks, starting the second week of March. And just to give you a …

Judge rules against VA governor's opt-out school mask order
2 years, 10 months ago

Judge rules against VA governor's opt-out school mask order

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Arlington Circuit Court Judge Louise DiMatteo ruled in favor …

Debate rages over whether kids should wear masks at school
2 years, 10 months ago

Debate rages over whether kids should wear masks at school

NPR  

Debate rages over whether kids should wear masks at school Should we put KN95 masks on children or take all masks off? What's different about this moment is that there's a third camp emerging of parents, doctors and advocates who are pro-vaccine and anti-mask mandates for children, and they're getting louder. KAMENETZ: About two-thirds of large school districts, plus many …

Schools in England reinstate mask wearing rules in classrooms after surge in Covid cases
2 years, 10 months ago

Schools in England reinstate mask wearing rules in classrooms after surge in Covid cases

Daily Mail  

A number of schools are reinstating rules for pupils to wear facemasks after a surge in Covid cases, despite Government guidance last week which ended the requirement. Children wearing facemasks during a lesson at Outwood Academy in Woodlands, Doncaster Hailsham Community College in East Sussex is one of a number of schools who have reinstated face masks in the classroom …

Judge temporarily restores New York’s mask mandate
2 years, 10 months ago

Judge temporarily restores New York’s mask mandate

Associated Press  

An appeals judge restored New York’s mask mandate Tuesday, a day after a judge in a lower court ruled that Gov. The stay came after a day of confusion, in which some New York school districts — particularly in areas that lean Republican — rushed to make masks optional for students and teachers, and state education officials told administrators they …

New York judge strikes down state COVID mask mandate
2 years, 11 months ago

New York judge strikes down state COVID mask mandate

Al Jazeera  

The mandate had been issued by governor after Kathy Hochul declared state of emergency amid Omicron spread. A New York state judge has struck down a mandate that required the wearing of masks in public places as a COVID-19 precaution, ruling the governor overstepped her authority in imposing the restriction. In the ruling on Monday, Judge Thomas Rademaker of New …

Schools adapt for return from break as COVID-19 cases surge
2 years, 11 months ago

Schools adapt for return from break as COVID-19 cases surge

Associated Press  

Mask requirements are returning in some school districts that had dropped them. The virus, León said, continues “to be a brutal, relentless and ruthless virus that rears its ugly head at inopportune times.” Long after the widespread closures in the pandemic’s early days, school and elected leaders say they are using the lessons and tools of the past two years …

Schools urged to tighten testing, upgrade masks when they reopen Monday amid Omicron surge
2 years, 11 months ago

Schools urged to tighten testing, upgrade masks when they reopen Monday amid Omicron surge

LA Times  

A kindergarten student gets a coronavirus test at an L.A. County campus in the fall. “And we already know that it is leading to more outbreaks — even over the break, amongst school sports teams, for example.” In L.A. County, new weekly cases more than tripled the number reported in the prior week to more than 20,000, and 1 in …

D.C. brings back indoor mask mandate amid surging infections
3 years ago

D.C. brings back indoor mask mandate amid surging infections

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — The nation’s capital is reinstating its indoor mask mandate as the region and country grapple with a fresh surge in COVID-19 infections. Bowser lifted the mask mandate in late November, a move that drew some public criticism that she was moving ahead of the science and easing restrictions at a time when infection numbers still listed the region …

Appeals court reinstates Texas mask mandate ban in schools
3 years ago

Appeals court reinstates Texas mask mandate ban in schools

Associated Press  

HOUSTON — An appeals court on Wednesday halted a federal judge’s order that had stopped Texas from enforcing its ban on mask mandates in the state’s schools, allowing the prohibition to remain in effect. In granting the stay, the appeals court said that Paxton would likely win in his appeal, the students represented by Disability Rights Texas likely do not …

Last 3 Florida school districts drop student mask mandates
3 years, 1 month ago

Last 3 Florida school districts drop student mask mandates

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The last three school districts …

Federal judge strikes down Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in schools
3 years, 1 month ago

Federal judge strikes down Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s ban on mask mandates in schools

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} A …

How long will Covid-19 masking rules last?
3 years, 1 month ago

How long will Covid-19 masking rules last?

CNN  

CNN — A federal court judge’s decision to strike down Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s ban on school mask rules for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act could reverberate around the country and make new children eligible for the requirements. Atlanta’s mayor declared the city a “green zone” and said dropping Covid-19 cases allowed her to follow the science and lift …

Wolf expects to let schools set masking rules in January
3 years, 1 month ago

Wolf expects to let schools set masking rules in January

Associated Press  

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania school districts will be allowed to modify or end the mask mandate for K-12 students in January, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Monday, saying it is “time to prepare for a transition back to a more normal setting.” The Democratic governor said that, on Jan. 17, he expects to turn over decisions about masking to local school …

Pennsylvania appeals court takes up school mask challenge
3 years, 2 months ago

Pennsylvania appeals court takes up school mask challenge

Associated Press  

A Pennsylvania appeals court heard arguments Wednesday on whether the Wolf administration had the legal right to impose a mask mandate on K-12 schools and child care facilities to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The state’s acting health secretary ordered students, teachers and staff to wear face coverings when inside, reversing course after Gov. Plaintiffs’ lawyers contend, among …

Florida Board of Education votes to sanction 8 school districts with mask mandates with no opt-out
3 years, 2 months ago

Florida Board of Education votes to sanction 8 school districts with mask mandates with no opt-out

CNN  

CNN — The Florida Board of Education on Thursday voted to sanction eight school districts that have instituted Covid-19 mask mandates without giving parents the ability to opt their students out. Additionally, the Department of Health had a “clear inability” to complete contact tracing, case investigations and timely notifications to impacted families, she said, which had “a direct impact of …

COVID vaccine and mask fury shakes up California schools
3 years, 2 months ago

COVID vaccine and mask fury shakes up California schools

LA Times  

Downtown Sutter Creek in Amador County, where a parent assaulted a teacher because of a COVID-19 mask mandate in schools, according to school officials. In the second full academic year of the pandemic, such behavior has reared its head on school campuses across the U.S. Demonstrators opposed to masking and mandatory vaccination for students gather outside the Los Angeles Unified …

SC school mask mandate ban disrupts learning, groups say
3 years, 3 months ago

SC school mask mandate ban disrupts learning, groups say

Associated Press  

COLUMBIA, S.C. — As the South Carolina Supreme Court mulls the legality of a state rule that effectively bans masks in most schools, health care workers and educators are renewing calls for state lawmakers to repeal the provision altogether. Pediatricians and school nurses joined state education groups at a news conference Tuesday to warn that lawmakers’ inaction will only continue …

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