BUSD: Indoor And Outdoor Masking Moving To Strongly Recommended On March 14 At All BUSD Schools And Facilities

Press release from the Berkeley Unified School District:

Trish McDermott

March 7, 2022

March 7, 2022

March 7, 2022

Dear Berkeley Unified Community,
La traducción en español estará disponible mañana en nuestro sitio de web 

Dear Berkeley Unified Community,

This afternoon, the district updated our School Board meeting agenda for the Wednesday, March 9 meeting to include our decision to follow the State and the City of Berkeley Public Health Department decision to strongly recommend, but no longer require, masking at all BUSD schools and facilities beginning March 14, 2022. I invite you to the March 9 meeting at 7:00 pm at this Zoom link to learn more about this decision.

This afternoon, the district updated our School Board meeting agenda for the Wednesday, March 9 meeting to include our decision to follow the State and the City of Berkeley Public Health Department decision to strongly recommend, but no longer require, masking at all BUSD schools and facilities beginning March 14, 2022. I invite you to the March 9 meeting at 7:00 pm

On February 28, 2022, the State announced it would move from requiring masks in Pre-K and K-12 schools to strongly recommending the use of masks after March 11, 2022. On March 3, 2022, citing the rapid decline of COVID-19 cases and very low rate of hospitalizations and severe illness in our community, the City of Berkeley Health Officer announced the City will align with the State.

On February 28, 2022, the State announced it would move from requiring masks in Pre-K and K-12 schools to strongly recommending the use of masks after March 11, 2022. On March 3, 2022, citing the rapid decline of COVID-19 cases and very low rate of hospitalizations and severe illness in our community,

As a community, I ask that we please respect family and staff masking needs and choices on and after March 14.

As a community, I ask that we please respect family and staff masking needs and choices on and after March 14.

As your family considers masking indoors, please know that masks are effective at disease protection for the wearer and can significantly lower the incidence of COVID-19 transmission, including in our schools. BUSD will continue to strongly recommend masking and we will make surgical masks readily available on all campuses and at other BUSD work locations. Additionally, the District will continue other successful COVID-19 risk mitigation protocols, including:

As your family considers masking indoors, please know that masks are effective at disease protection for the wearer and can significantly lower the incidence of COVID-19 transmission, including in our schools. BUSD will continue to strongly recommend masking and we will make surgical masks readily available on all campuses and at other BUSD work locations. Additionally, the District will continue other successful COVID-19 risk mitigation protocols, including:

We have learned a great deal as a community since the start of this pandemic, and this learning remains intact. As we proved during Omicron, the District has built a risk mitigation infrastructure that can ramp up under surge conditions, and we can also roll back some mitigation measures to reflect the high vaccination rates and diminishing disease levels in our community. 

We have learned a great deal as a community since the start of this pandemic, and this learning remains intact. As we proved during Omicron, the District has built a risk mitigation infrastructure that can ramp up under surge conditions, and we can also roll back some mitigation measures to reflect the high vaccination rates and diminishing disease levels in our community. 

I especially appreciate the patience and goodwill our community has extended to each other during each of these moments of transition. I ask that we all continue to extend that goodwill through this next change in our collective action against COVID and model for our students that we can show respect for individual choices, whether or not they align with our own. 

I especially appreciate the patience and goodwill our community has extended to each other during each of these moments of transition. I ask that we all continue to extend that goodwill through this next change in our collective action against COVID and model for our students that we can show respect for individual choices, whether or not they align with our own. 

Stronger Together.

Stronger Together.

Brent Stephens
Superintendent

Brent Stephens

This press release was produced by the Berkeley Unified School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.