MASK REQUIREMENTS IN SCHOOL
Masks now optional
At the Yarmouth School Board meeting on Monday Feb 28th 2022 it was decided that mask-wearing would be made optional in schools from Mon March 7th 2022 onwards. The state's decision to remove the recommendation that masks should be worn in schools came on Wed March 2nd, and as a result students also no longer need to wear masks on buses. The schools will continue to provide KN95 masks to students who choose to wear them.
Read the full announcement from the school superintendent about the removal of the mask mandate.
Effectiveness of masks in schools
Mask Mandates Worked in Schools Last Fall, CDC Study Finds 3/9/22
In the study released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers examined public school districts in Arkansas from August to October and found that those with mask requirements had 23% lower rates of infection among students and staff members than districts without the mandates.
However, it's not known whether school mask mandates would have helped prevent infections with the more contagious Omicron variant.
Mask requirements in school work! by epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina
Addresses the effectiveness of masks in schools. Sep 27, 2021.