Atlanta Public Schools hopes to lift mask mandate in February
ATLANTA - Atlanta Public School students may be able to remove their masks by February.
APS SUPERINTENDENT PRAISES DISTRICT'S EFFORTS DURING PANDEMIC
The APS board decided in a vote Monday that they would consider lifting the mask mandate if the data and science would allow it.
District officials said the community transmission must be low to moderate for the change to take place.
"APS is like most school districts, ready to normalize school settings again. We don't want to take the decision lightly either. We want to make sure our decisions are always data-driven and are guided by the science," Juliana Prieto, APS's newly hired epidemiologist, insisted.
The district revealed the possible change to their long-running mandate at Monday's board meeting, parents have mixed reactions to the news, especially an ER doctor and parent who has seen more COVID-19 deaths than he cares to talk about.
"Ultimately, this is a respiratory virus and respiratory virus increase with frequency in colder months and it seems to me it is the wrong time to life a mask mandate," Dr. John Limehouse exclaimed.
"Assuming that the matrix are at a level where there is low spread, I think it's fine, parent Carisa Quin explained.
APS's vaccination rate is 14% district-wide. The system plans to host vaccination events in the coming months to improve those numbers.
APS officials realize, they can't please everyone.
"Anytime we make a decision about students, it is a difficult call," Ms. Prieto confessed.
APS officials said they will reevaluate the situation after the holiday break. They want the community transmission in DeKalb and Fulton to be low to moderate in order for the mandate to become optional.