Mask Mandate Issued Again In Marietta City Schools

MARIETTA, GA — Face masks will again be required for all Marietta City Schools students, staff and visitors starting Monday regardless of vaccination status, Superintendent Grant Rivera announced Thursday, citing rising COVID-19 cases in the district and across Cobb County.

Masks will not be required for outdoor activities, or while eating or drinking. An exemption may be granted for religious or medical reasons, which can be requested on the MCS website. Rivera said the mandate is intended to be temporary, but did not provide a date for when it would be lifted.

"My expectation is that the mask requirement is temporary, and we can soon resume a greater sense of normalcy in our schools. In the spirit of continued transparency and communication, MCS virtual town halls will be hosted to provide updates regarding MCS data and safety protocols," Rivera said in the announcement. "We will review our MCS data and safety protocols each week and notify our families of any changes to our mask and quarantine protocols."

Rivera said MCS has reported at least 96 cases of COVID-19 since school started Aug. 3, with 16 students and one staff member contracting the virus due to school-based transmission. During this same time, Cobb County's positive COVID-19 case rate increased 88.2 percent, according to Georgia Department of Public Health data.

The district is also modifying its quarantine protocol, shifting what it considers a "close contact" for COVID-19 from 6 feet to 3 feet of distance, "thereby allowing us to use even more discretion in who is identified as a close contact and subsequently quarantined."

The state DPH's recommended 7- and 10-day quarantine protocols will be followed.

"With this new approach, we are confident we can keep more students learning in our classrooms with less interruptions to our families," Rivera said.

MCS is also working with a local provider — DC Pulmonary Medicine, located at 353 Lemon St. in Marietta — to start COVID-19 testing Monday.

Two more vaccination clinics will be held next week at Marietta High School and Marietta Middle School for all eligible MCS students, staff and families. Only the Pfizer vaccine will be available:

MMS COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic, Big Blue Gym

• Thursday, Aug. 26
• 3-4:30 p.m.

MHS COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic, MHS Cafeteria

• Friday, Aug. 27
• 3:30-5:30 p.m.

"I humbly ask for your continued grace, understanding and cooperation. While we may not all share the same views on the appropriate COVID[-19] safety protocols, I trust we can all agree that our children — regardless of their age — will follow our lead," Rivera said. "We, as the adults, will set the tone in our homes and our classrooms."