San Diego’s two largest school districts announced they will opt to maintain the mandatory mask mandates.
San Diego Unified and Sweetwater Union High School District made the announcement after Gov. Gavin Newsom declared on Monday that students are no longer be required to wear masks inside after March 12.
With declining case rates and hospitalizations all throughout California and in the West Coast State Health & Human Services Secretary, Dr. Mark Ghaly said "We are seeing really encouraging trends”. He continued, "It is the right moment to transition from that requirement to a strong recommendation.
Individual school districts will have the opportunity to keep the mandate, although it is strongly recommended.
A spokesperson from Sweetwater Unified said, "two weeks from today's announcement, we will reassess where the mask mandate stands, in the examination of the community spread at that time."
“We reiterate that the safety of our school communities must be the guiding factor for any decisions affecting our students and staff and continue to encourage COVID-19 testing, masking, and vaccinations,” a statement Sweetwater Unified released to families read.
Leaders of San Diego Unified plan to consult with health experts from UC San Diego to determine its masking policy, according to a statement released to families. It plans to share a strategy with the public before March 11.
According to the latest Centers for Disease Control tool, San Diego County remains in the High COVID-19 Community Level, and residents are recommended to practice indoor masking for schools in areas where the COVID-19 community level is high.
Following the release of the CDC guidelines, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said, “moving forward, districts should continue to work with local health experts, parents, and educators to identify what works best for their communities, and consider the appropriate mitigation strategies needed to keep students and staff safe.”
San Diego Unified cited a recent Harvard Study that shows it may be too early to lift masking restrictions, warning “before lifting mask mandates in elementary schools in the U.S., local COVID-19 case rates should be far below current rates to avoid the risk of increased transmission among students, staff, and families.”
Despite citing elementary schools, San Diego Unified said “secondary schools face the same issues regarding low vaccination rates and high case rates in the surrounding communities”.
