Mask wearing will be optional beginning March 12th in many area schools. Officials at Springfield Public Schools and the Bethel School District said they’ll follow the Oregon Department of Education’s lead. They’re waiting for ODE guidance on things like quarantines and contact tracing.
Some districts will take a couple days to decide. Ryan Noss is Superintendent of Corvallis Schools. He told KLCC they hope to form a mask policy at Thursday’s school board meeting.
“One of the things that’s going to be important is that we continue to make sure that everyone has respect for one another, regardless of the way we move," said Noss. "There’s a variety of personal reasons that people would continue to wear masks, and I want our community to recognize that and give grace to one another.”
The Bethel district also shared an anti-bullying message, saying personal choices should be met with kindness and respect.
At Wednesday night's (3/2) meeting, the Eugene 4J School Board voted to affirm the recommendation of interim superintendent Cydney Vandercar, to make masks optional in schools as of March 14th.
