Spring ISD leaders will drop their campus mask mandate beginning March 4 citing an observed drop in reported COVID-19 cases, the district’s media department announced March 1.
Instead of requiring students, teachers, staff and visitors to wear masks on district campuses, leaders will only recommend masks be worn beginning March 4. According to the news release, the change is a result of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recently slackened guidance as well as a downward trend of newly reported campus coronavirus cases since December.
“As a district, we believe this decision will enable our families and staff to make their own personal choices based on individual health needs,” reads the March 1 statement.
As of March 1, SISD is reporting nine active COVID-19 cases for students and five for staff, according to the district’s online case tracker. In the last 14 days, 17 students and 10 employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
Since Aug. 11—the start of the 2021-22 school year—the district has reported 3,348 total positive coronavirus cases on district campuses.
As previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper, in August, SISD leaders opted to require masks be worn on campus during the 2021-22 school year, defying an order from Gov. Greg Abbott that prevented local entities from making similar mandates. SISD leaders upheld their decision to require masks before the start of the spring semester Dec. 31.
