Face Masks Will Be Required Inside Shaker Schools, District Says

SHAKER HEIGHTS, OH — Everyone inside a Shaker Heights Schools building will need to wear a face mask, the district announced this week.

In a message to families, the district cited the renewed surge in COVID-19 in Cuyahoga County and across the U.S. for the mask policy. Students and staff will need to wear masks while indoors, regardless of vaccination status.

Visitors to the district will also need to wear masks indoors. Masking will not be required outdoors.

The new masking mandate went into effect on Wednesday. All staff should begin wearing masks immediately, the district said.

"We continue to encourage all eligible staff, students and family members to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible," the district said in a statement.

Read more: Latest Ohio Vaccine And Mask Mandates: See Who's Requiring Them

All of the Shaker Heights Schools' health and safety protocols will be reviewed on a regular basis, particularly as local, state and national recommendations evolve in the wake of the delta variant's ascendance.

Last week, the Ohio Department of Health held a news conference recommending unvaccinated students, staff and teachers don face masks for the coming school year. Concern is particularly high for vulnerable populations as the delta variant is spreading rapidly in Ohio, according to Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, the department's chief medical officer.

Ohio legislators and Gov. Mike DeWine barred schools from requiring students or staff from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, until the vaccines receive full approval from the Food and Drug Administration. All three COVID-19 vaccines — from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — were granted emergency approval, but not full approval.