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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2021 - 2022
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | September 8, 2021 03:30 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Donna Bullock |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Following CDC Masking Guidelines in Schools |
| As the new school year gets under way, we should be doing everything we can to ensure our children’s safe return to full-time in-person instruction. However, as Covid cases increase across the state, the reaction of school districts has been mixed and inconsistent with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) guidance for K-12 schools. According to the CDC, multiple studies have shown that transmission rates within school settings, when prevention strategies are in place, are typically lower than community transmission levels. Using a snapshot in time, fewer than 75 school districts have enacted a masking policy, which is counter to CDC guidance for K-12 schools, and further highlights how schools are not following recommended procedures and mitigation practices. Therefore, in the near future, I will be introducing legislation that will require school districts to follow CDC guidance as it relates to masking indoors. Currently, the CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. CDC guidance is routinely updated to reflect the ever-chancing situations we face at home and provide us with mitigation strategies using the best information and data available. Schools are the backbone of our communities. We need to ensure that children remain in full-time in-person instruction to fulfill their educational, social and emotional development. We need to ensure that parents and caregivers have the ability to work to pay the bills and fuel the economy. All of our livelihoods are connected to keeping children in schools, and we should be doing everything in our power to keep them there. |