Fayette County Schools made wearing a mask optional in its buildings earlier this week as COVID-19 cases remain low among students and staff.
In a recent letter sent to parents, the district said that masks would no longer be mandatory in school buildings after coronavirus infections dropped significantly from the highs reached in August, which led to the face covering requirement. Masks will still be required on buses.
“Although we are allowing optional face coverings, we are highly recommending that all students, staff and visitors wear face coverings while inside a Fayette County Public Schools building,” the letter said. “This is one of the best ways for us to continue in-person learning.”
Mask mandates remain in place for many metro area school districts, including Atlanta Public Schools and Gwinnett County Public Schools. Those districts remain cautious, though case counts are significantly lower than since the spike in cases in August, when 14 area districts reported nearly 6,000 confirmed cases. For the week ending Oct. 10, those same districts reported just over 600 cases.
Henry County Schools shifted to optional masking earlier in the month in both buildings and on buses. And this week, Fulton County Schools also lifted the mask mandate at 35 of its schools, though they are still required on buses.
The drop in coronavirus cases at Fayette Schools paralleled an overall decrease in COVID-19 cases in the county, the district said.
The decision comes as Fayette recorded 18 cases for the week ending Oct. 22. That’s an increase above the 12 cases for the week ending Oct. 15. But it is lower than the highest count of 266 cases recorded the week ending Aug. 21, according to data posted to its website.
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