TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — New guidance on mask-wearing indoors, even for those fully vaccinated, may change the face of back-to-school just a couple of weeks away from the first day.
Danny Glover, the superintendent of Taylor County Schools, said "I really don't think we'll see any changes."
Despite the new guidance on masks from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Glover said the district plans to keep masks optional for the upcoming school year. With all students expected to attend class in-person.
Glover added "our plan is to kind of loosen up and open up but if we continue to see cases rise, working with the health department, we may have to back off."
Grady County Schools is offering a virtual option for students if families are not ready to send their kids back in person.
Masks are optional on school grounds but are required on the bus.
As for what those CDC changes mean -- this is what superintendent, Kermit Gilliard, had to say ahead of the CDC's announcement, "at the moment we have not changed that... if that guidance changes then of course we will make recommendations to change... especially since there has been an uptick in the community."
In Gadsden County, face coverings are mandatory for everyone inside district buildings.
Assistant superintendent, Dr. Sylvia Jackson, said they have virtual school and they're prepared to go back to remote learning if they have to.
Dr. Jackson told ABC 27 "we thought that that was the best way to keep everyone safe and to ensure that all parents are comfortable returning their students to school."
In Thomas County, masks are optional but required on school buses. Franklin County is still working on their back-to-school plan and says it'll be ready next week.
All schools are following CDC and health department guidelines for quarantining students and employees who get exposed to or sick with COVID-19.
