GISD waited to change its mask policy due to lack of vaccines for younger students, a rise in positive cases in younger children and staff’s safety concerns, said Melinda Brasher, GISD's executive director for communications.
Safety protocols for GISD were established in the fall and do not expire until the end of the school year. For these protocols to be changed before the end of the school year the board would have to meet and vote, Brasher said.
“The decision is just to continue following those protocols through May 28, which is our last day of school,” she said. “The next official business day for GISD is June 1, and because the school year will have officially ended, our safety protocols for the school year also expire, which allows us to make masks optional on June 1 without having to take board action.”
GISD does not anticipate enforcing the use of masks for the upcoming year but will continue to monitor COVID-19 data and make decisions based on the information, Brasher added.
