State agencies release school start guidelines

Virginia will not require public schools to mandate mask wearing during the 2021-22 school year, but state guidance strongly encourages that local school divisions do so.

The Department of Education and the Department of Health released guidelines for public schools in a July 21 press release.

The state health commissioner’s order on mask wearing was to be in effect until July 25, the release noted. School divisions will be able to implement local mask policies “based on community level conditions and public health recommendations,” it stated.

However, the departments “strongly” recommend that:

• Elementary schools require students, teachers and staff to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, until vaccination is available for children younger than 12 and there has been enough time for them to get fully vaccinated.

• At a minimum, middle and high schools should require mask wearing indoors for anyone who is not fully vaccinated.

A federal Centers for Disease Control order remains in effect that requires masks on public transportation, including school buses.

“The science is clear that vaccinations and masks help keep our communities safe from COVID-19,” Virginia Secretary of Health and Human Resources Dr. Daniel Carey said.

“We continue to urge eligible Virginians to get vaccinated to protect themselves, their families and their communities,” said Health Commissioner Dr. M. Norman Oliver.

All Virginia schools are required to make in-person education available in the coming school year, according to 2021 General Assembly legislation.

The updated guidelines also state that physical distancing of at least three feet “should be maximized to the greatest extent possible,” the release states, but schools should not reduce in-person learning to keep a minimum distance requirement.