Marietta students, staff return to class with masks optional

MARIETTA, Ga. - Marietta City Schools is now switching to a mask-optional policy at its schools.

The change in policy went into effect Saturday, Oct. 16, with Monday, Oct. 18, the first full school day without the mask requirement. Masks are now optional at the school's homecoming dance and possibly some field trips, depending on the destination's requirements. 

Superintendent Grant Rivera provided the district's rationale in a statement on its official website:

HENRY COUNTY SCHOOLS HALTS MASK REQUIREMENT

"Since early September, we’ve seen a significant decline in the positivity rate in Cobb County and a continued local decline in COVID cases for school-aged children, which have dropped even more dramatically than other age groups. We have seen the same decline in our MCS student and staff data, confirming that we now have less cases of COVID walking in our school doors.

"Throughout this pandemic, we’ve strived to achieve the appropriate balance between our instructional needs and public health protocols. MCS has been progressive in our safety mitigation strategies, which include being one of the first school districts in Georgia to implement the "test-and-stay" model that allows students to return to school during a quarantine after daily rapid antigen testing. The decision to transition to mask-optional is one more step in establishing some degree of normalcy in our schools, as the data indicates conditions have changed significantly from the start of the school year.

"On a personal level, I understand that some of you will read this email and be frustrated, or even angered, by this transition in our protocols, while others will be delighted and relieved. I ask for your continued grace with me and with each other. Nothing about a pandemic is static – our district’s response will continue to evolve as both this virus and the data evolve."

Marietta City Schools said it would continue contact tracing and 7-day and 10-day quarantine protocols. 

Rivera wrote that he hopes the mask mandate will not return, but the district plans to be responsive to new case data. 

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