The Florida Department of Health reports the COVID-19 positivity rate in Lee County for the week of July 30 – August 5 is 20.8% which puts us in an area of high transmission per the Centers for Disease Control.
Therefore, The School District of Lee County will require face coverings as a mitigation measure as we begin the 21-22 school year while respecting parents’ fundamental rights to direct the health care decisions of their child, by allowing them to opt their child out of wearing a face covering or mask.
Our decision is based on the following factors:
- The State Surgeon General’s Emergency Order which states that “Students may wear masks or facial coverings as a mitigation measure; however, the school must allow for a parent or legal guardian of the student to opt-out the student from wearing a face covering or mask.”
- The Governor’s Executive Order which directs that any actions taken by school districts comply with the Parents’ Bill of Rights to “protect parents’ right to make decisions regarding masking of their children in relation to COVID-19.”
- Guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) which “recommends universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.”
- The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) which “recommends that all students older than two (2) years and all school staff should wear face masks at school (unless medical or developmental conditions prohibit use)”; and
- Board Policy 1.181 which grants the Superintendent the authority to implement emergency Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) use in the District and allows him to provide guidelines for same.
We have also heard the concerns raised by parents and stakeholders, both those who support and oppose a mask requirement. We believe that requiring masks with an opt-out, ensures that we are doing all we can to keep our students and employees safe while supporting our community’s efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and respecting the fundamental rights of parents to direct the health care of their children.
Parents who do not want their child to wear a mask should fill out the School District’s Mask Opt-Out form which will be available on August 9.
This requirement will be in place through September 10, 2021, in order to give us time to track and evaluate community spread in Lee County. We will continue to work with our health partners to monitor the conditions in our community at that time to make further decisions.