MSCS drops mask requirement, citing CDC
More counties put as low risk in new guidance
Memphis-shelby County Schools has dropped its mask mandate, citing new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that removes mask recommendations for more than half of United States counties, including Shelby. So long as the district has allowed students in-person during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has required masks.
Shelby County is among the communities with “low” COVID-19 levels under the set of designations from the CDC released Friday, which consider new COVID-19 hospitalizations, what share of total hospitalizations are people with COVID-19, and how many new COVID-19 cases a county has reported in the last week.
The district is lifting its requirement Monday, but still recommends masks in schools.
For students, the decision to not wear a mask will be up to their families. Families will have to submit a form in Powerschool to opt their student out of masking.
Employees are encouraged to continue masking, the district said, but do not have to submit a form.
“Masks and vaccinations work and have been proven to help slow the spread of COVID-19,” the district said. “MSCS highly recommends wearing a protective covering over the nose and mouth to help slow the spread of the virus.”
If COVID-19 infection rates change locally, administrators said they might reinstate the universal requirement.
Under the new designations, the CDC recommends masks for about 30% of Americans who live in counties where community levels are “high.”
Across Tennessee, most counties remain in the “high” level of transmission, but are prevented by state law from requiring masks. Local authorities over schools have, through a federal order from a U.S. District Court judge in Middle Tennessee, been able to make their own decisions about masks in recent months.
Some Tennessee counties, mostly in the middle of the state, have the “medium” designation, which does not recommend masks unless a doctor recommends masking for a person at high risk for severe disease.
As of Friday, Shelby, Tipton and Fayette Counties are the only three “low” risk counties in the state. Data has shown the omicron variant COVID-19 surge peaked in the Memphis area earlier than most other Tennessee counties.
During the peak in January, Shelby County recorded more than 6,800 active cases of COVID-19 among kids and more than 30 were hospitalized, according to local data.
MSCS has been the only Shelby County public school district to require masks consistently throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Surrounding municipal districts have changed requirements throughout the pandemic and all had removed the requirement for students by mid January of this year.
Lawsuits over masking for students have traveled through federal courts since August, when state policies challenged local masking requirements in schools. Students with disabilities across Tennessee brought the lawsuits against the state.
Students with disabilities again sued over new state legislation preventing masking that was signed into law last fall.
At MSCS, outspoken families have supported keeping mitigation protocols in place, though students have told The Commercial Appeal that adherence and enforcement of some COVID-19 policies like masking has fallen in recent months . In municipal districts, outspoken families have typically supported the opposite and have asked for school boards to remove mitigation strategies, specifically masks.
The district began a COVID-19 testing program last fall. The program has provided 150,000 tests to students and 36,000 to teachers and staff, Superintendent Joris Ray said in a district address Wednesday
The Memphis district has remained one of the only Tennessee school districts to voluntarily keep a mask mandate in place. Metro Nashville Public Schools will lift its mandate after spring break. Knox County Schools is still under a court-ordered mandate from a federal judge.
About the new CDC mask policies
The CDC announced the guideline changes Friday. The changes allow most Americans to unmask indoors, which health experts say may be the first step in shifting the U.S. to an “endemic phase” of the pandemic.
The agency said in a news briefing Friday afternoon it will be using different metrics to determine whether to recommend face coverings.
Under the old guidelines, masks were recommended for people living in communities of substantial or high transmission, which applied to roughly 95% of U.S. counties.
The new metrics would put more than half of U.S. counties – where more than 70% of Americans live – in areas of low or medium risk, according to the CDC data.
“We are in a stronger place today as a nation with more tools today to protect ourselves and our community from COVID-19 like vaccination, boosters, broader access to testing, availability of high quality masks, accessibility to new treatments, and improved ventilation,” CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said during Friday’s briefing.
In a statement, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona described the updated guidance as a continuation of work to “keep schools safely open” as part of a “new phase of recovery.”
“With today’s announcement of updated CDC guidance, we can continue to keep schools safely open while allowing for educators and parents to get back to focusing on what is most important: our students’ futures,” Cardona said. “Moving forward, districts should continue to work with local health experts, parents, and educators to identify what works best for their communities and consider the appropriate mitigation strategies needed to keep students and staff safe.”
COVID-19 vaccinations are free and available for all people 5 and older, encompassing most students who are school age.
USA Today contributed reporting. Laura Testino covers education and children’s issues for the Commercial Appeal. Reach her at laura.testino@commercialappeal.com or 901-512-3763.