The debate over masks in schools is heating up again as schools begin preparing for the next academic year while a new hyper-contagious COVID variant fuels a spike in cases.
California said it has no plans for a sweeping mask mandate at schools, which means every school district must decide its rules for face coverings.
Several local superintendents on Thursday said they will monitor COVID data, but add when the school year officially begins, rules may vary from district to district, even school to school.
"We will continue to monitor conditions on a daily basis," said Dr. Roxane Fuentes, Berryessa Schools superintendent. "And we'll shift as we do so."
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Superintendents from other states are also in the Bay Area to compare strategies.
"We've taken every safety measure we can take and continue to recommend that children and families and staff make all the choices they need to make to stay safe," said Dr. Guadalupe Guerrero, superintendent for Portland schools.
The Alum Rock School District recently required masks indoors for the entire school year even after the state lifted its mandate. The district's superintendent said they will now wait until August to decide whether to do it again this school year.
San Jose's Franklin McKinley School District highly encouraged masks after spring break and said it will do the same this fall. The district also said it will not hesitate to go back to a mask requirement at any campus that sees a rise in COVID cases.
"We had to implement mask mandates at a particular school where we saw positive cases trending up," said Juan Cruz, Franklin McKinley Schools superintendent. "So we made that decision and will continue to make that decision, campus by campus."
