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During a post storm event in February, Marble Falls ISD students assisted in water distribution with the requirement of wearing facecoverings. The district voted May 11 to rescind the requirement and make it optional. File photo
Students and staff at Marble Falls Independent School District campuses will no longer be required to wear masks in any educational environment starting Wednesday, May 12.
The board of trustees held a special meeting on Tuesday morning to discuss moving to a new phase that started with an outdoor easement in March.
“When I'm asked why we're still wearing masks, I'm finding it more and more difficult to point to data that suggests that we should not at least have a conversation about lifting some of the restrictions,” MFISD Superintendent Chris Allen said.
Administration recommended removing the mask requirement in all areas except classrooms and buses, but trustees opted to make them optional everywhere.
“I would like to see some normalcy for our kids the last couple of weeks,” Trustee Gary Boshears said. “I'm a very data-driven person, and the data shows it's an off chance the kids are going to miss anything.”
Trustee Alex Payson made the initial motion to accept the administration's recommendation, but the motion was defeated by a 2-5 vote.
Boshears made the motion to make masks optional throughout the district, and it passed 5-2 with Payson and Trustee Mandy McCary voting against it.
An amendment was made to the motion to make KN-95 masks available to all students and staff. The district has a surplus of the equipment.
“We have thousands of these masks,” Allen said. “The KN goes over the ears and is more comfortable and the N-95s. We have enough to make them available to any student or adult who wants one.”
Directors in band halls and auditoriums can still require masks in these areas based on the activity, number of participants and space available.