Health Department Declines to Mandate Masks in Schools

The Clay County Board of Health reconvened a special meeting that was postponed from last week. The board was supposed to discuss and vote on the COVID-19 On-Site Learning Guidance for Schools and Early Childcare Centers, but tabled the vote after a three hour public comment session.

The board decided to make this meeting virtual due to rising COVID-19 infection rates and to ensure the safety of their board members, staff, and visitors. In order to control the public comments, the board limited the public comment section of the virtual meeting to just one hour, and each speaker was limited to just three minutes. 

After the public comment section of the meeting, the board members discussed the current On-Site Learning Guidance and updated sections of the document. The board declined to mandate the use of masks for students and staff who participate in in-person learning. However the board does recommend the universal use of masks in schools regardless of vaccination status.

The board voted in favor of the changes made to the On-site Learning Guidance, and the updated document will be released on the Clay County Public Health Center’s website as soon as possible.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story