VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – The Volusia County School Board is moving closer to making masks optional in the classroom following a work session Tuesday where they agreed to consider the change.
The school board held a 3-hour work session Tuesday at 1 p.m. prior to the scheduled 5:30 p.m. regularly scheduled school board meeting.
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Some of the board members argued that it should be up to parents and guardians whether their children should wear face coverings. Meanwhile, other board members said if the policy is rescinded they need to have the option to make them mandatory again in case there is another surge in coronavirus cases.
Board members told school staff to draft a policy that would make face masks optional for in-person learning beginning July 1. Currently, face coverings are required at Volusia County Public Schools.
The board will vote on the matter at its June 22 meeting.
Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Health in Volusia County said it is not changing its recommendations or guidelines and is sticking with the CDC.
“Unless you’re fully vaccinated, and you’re visiting with other people that are fully vaccinated we still recommend wearing and mask and physically distancing,” Ethan Johnson with the department of health said.
Right now, CDC guidelines state schools should maintain physical distancing of 3 feet in classrooms and students and staff should wear face coverings.
“We have vaccines for people who want vaccines so I think it’s important for people to understand we’re moving in the right direction but we’re not there yet,” Johnson said.
The school board has previously held work sessions about the face-covering policy.
The Volusia County school board held a workshop March 30 where the county health department gave suggestions on its mask mandate but a final decision was not made.
Florida Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran recently asked school districts to make face mask policies voluntary for the next school year.
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