Optional School Masking Questions Answered By MOCO Schools

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — The Board of Education is expected to take a vote at its March 8 meeting to make masking optional in Montgomery County Public Schools, and the district released a community message to answer common questions about what that might look like.

"The changes to our mask policy will be welcome to some and it may be worrying to others," the community message reads. "There will be students, teachers and administrators who want or need to continue to mask in our schools. We must respect that."

The district said it expects that masking will also be optional on schools buses and at athletic events, and buses will keep windows open as the weather permits. The district says it will continue to offer COVID-19 testing, vaccine clinics and the distribution of KN95 masks in schools.

The Board meeting will be open to the public and can be viewed on a livestream. Attendance will be limited and anyone who wishes to go in person is required to register in advance. Registration will close when seats are full or until noon March 7.

"At the meeting, there will be discussion of relevant data in conjunction with federal, state and local guidance, and—absent a spike in cases or hospitalizations—it may be appropriate for masks to be optional in MCPS schools," the district said in a community message. "The BoE will make that decision."

Montgomery County's mask mandate ended Feb. 22. That decision did not change the mandate in the public schools — that is governed by the Board of Education.

The school district pointed to CDC data that says Montgomery County has a low "community level," which is shown to help regions decide what security measures should be in place. Community levels are determined using hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area, the CDC said.