Mask Mandate going into effect through February 15
“I wear a mask because, my mom told me that I should never keep my guard down and take off my mask because, even if you’re in class, you should wear one,” junior Maximiliano Herrera said on why he wears a mask.
Beginning on Tuesday, January 25, the district will begin using updated COVID provisions and safety changes. These changes were approved by the Board of Trustees working in collaboration with health authorities from the region. As a result, all students, faculty, and staff on campus, will be mandated to wear a face mask to school through February 15.
Students who are unwilling to wear a face mask can opt out by submitting out a one question survey. All parents will be emailed a link to the survey.
“I’ve been wearing my face mask throughout the whole school year, so this doesn’t really affect me, but I definitely support this decision,” senior Isaac Soto said. “With the whole COVID Omicron variant situation, I think it’s important to have these safety precautions.”
The Board of Trustees’ reasoning for the mandate is that they want to mitigate the spread of the new Omicron variant.
“In my opinion, it’s a smart idea to bring back the mask mandate since the new variant is very contagious and is causing a large rise in cases,” English teacher Mario Gomez said. “It’s necessary to take all of the proper safety precautions to make sure this is a safe and clean environment for our students.”
Students still unwilling to wear their face masks will have to self-isolate for ten days according to the updated guidelines and protocols by the district.
“I totally understand having the new mask mandate going into effect,” senior Gabriel Rodriguez said. “I haven’t been wearing my mask since I was vaccinated but I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
