California is lifting its school mask mandate. What does that mean for SLO County kids?
After two years of California students and teachers being required to wear face coverings to slow the spread of COVID-19 while in school classrooms, things are about to change.
The California Department of Public Health on Monday issued new guidance for kids. It allows for students to go to school without masks after March 11.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health — Cal/OSHA — followed suit on Tuesday, allowing teachers and other school staff to unmask at the same time.
Although local health agencies can issue stricter requirements for schools by continuing to enforce a mask mandate, the San Luis Obispo County Public Health Department said it will follow the state’s guidance.
“Effective March 12, masking will move from required to strongly recommended in school and child care settings,” wrote Michelle Shoresman, spokesperson for the department, in an email to The Tribune. “Individual schools, child care settings and businesses will have the option to enact more stringent precautions based on local risk factors, such as transmission levels.”
It appears that local school districts in the county will align with the new state guidance.
San Luis Coastal Unified School District, for example, has put forward a resolution saying it will no longer require face masks for students and staff after March 11. Its board of education will consider approving or denying the resolution at its Tuesday evening meeting.
Lucia Mar Unified and Atascadero Unified school districts sent notes to families this week regarding the new guidance. Both said the districts will align with the state guidance.
Schools districts have noted in their announcements to families that students and staff will still have the option to wear a face mask while in school to protect themselves from possible COVID-19 infection.
“As we follow this new guidance, it is important that we support and respect all students in their individual choice in regard to wearing a mask,” Atascadero Unified School District Superintendent Tom Butler wrote to parents in a note on Monday. “It is imperative that all students are valued and respected with the choice that their family supports. Thanks in advance to all of our school communities for supporting positive environments on all of the school campuses.”
Paso Robles Joint Unified School District appears to be the only outlier in the county. Its board of education passed a resolution at its meeting on Feb. 22 saying it will no longer enforce the indoor mask mandate for students — opening it up to potential insurance liability by clearly violating the state’s school mask mandate.
COVID-19 transmission in San Luis Obispo County schools hit a peak in January but has since died down substantially. However, dozens of students around the county continue to get sick each week from the virus, according to school COVID-19 dashboards, even though COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available for everyone beginning at 5 years old.
“While there is reason for optimism, at this time Public Health continues to strongly recommend universal masking in public indoor spaces as SLO County vaccination rates remain lower than the state average, and transmission remains elevated,” Shoresman wrote.
This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 11:54 AM.
