EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. — Students enrolled in Buckeye Union School District schools will now have the option to wear a mask or not, school district officials said in a letter Thursday.
School district employees will still be required to wear masks while indoors and in the presence of students.
The letter from the district comes one day after California's statewide indoor mask mandate for those fully vaccinated expired. The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) still requires masks to be worn in some settings such as schools and childcare facilities regardless of vaccination status.
The school district's letter cites community frustration over the school district's mask mandate and a decreased prevalence of COVID-19 as reasons why officials will not enforce the mandate on students.
The school district's mandate previously required all students to wear a mask or face covering while indoors. Students who did not wear a mask were sent out of class until they agreed to comply with wearing a mask.
"The community widely supports student choice and making masks optional. It is time to adjust the District’s protocols associated with the mask mandate," Buckeye Union School District officials wrote in a letter Thursday. "Classes will be encouraged to wear a mask at the beginning of each school day/class. Students not wearing a mask will not be removed from any school facility or event."
According to the letter, the school district will maintain enhanced air circulation and filtration in classrooms and provide COVID-19 related data on their dashboard and through their notification system.
Optional COVID-19 testing will also be available at each school site. The school district encourages those interested in independent study to contact Rachelle Ball at rball@buckeyeusd.org.
"Schools will foster an environment in which mask choice is respected," officials wrote in the letter to parents and students. "In making this adjustment, it is our intent to ensure our educators, students, and families can be most focused on the education of our children."
The El Dorado County school district serves nearly 4,700 students. They have five elementary schools, two middle schools, and a TK-8th grade district operated Charter Montessori.
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