Austin ISD Urges People To Wear Masks Until June 4

Austin TX

18 May, 2021

5:39 PM

Description

AUSTIN, TX — Austin ISD is urging people on campus and district sites to wear masks until June 4, which is the cutoff for Texas schools in Gov. Greg Abbott's latest executive order on mask enforcement. On Tuesday, Abbott issued an Executive Order prohibiting governmental entities in Texas — including counties, cities, school districts, public health authorities, or government officials — from requiring or mandating mask wearing. Public schools are allowed to continue to follow current mask-wearing guidelines through June 4. After June 4, no student, teacher, parent, or other staff member or visitor can be required to wear a mask while on campus, the order states. The governor's decision comes days after the CDC announced fully vaccinated individuals do not need to wear a mask or physically distance themselves outdoors or indoors in any setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance. AISD Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde told Patch Tuesday afternoon in an email the district is encouraging everyone to wear masks on campus and district sites until the cutoff on June 4 as some students continue to get vaccinated. "Since the Governor's executive order forbids mask mandates after June 4, it has become all the more critical to increase vaccinations for our students 12 and up and their families now and throughout the summer," Elizalde said. "We know masks prevent COVID-19 from spreading, and there is nothing in the Governor's order that forbids people from wearing masks. "It only means we cannot require them. We encourage everyone to use their common sense and continue to follow advice from scientists when it comes to protecting themselves from the coronavirus." Elizalde said the district is reviewing its options to ensure staff and students are safe throughout this pandemic. "In the meantime, we strongly encourage our students and their families to get vaccinated at their local doctor's office, a pharmacy, or our frequent popup clinics and to wear masks until they are fully vaccinated," Elizalde said. Last week, the district announced it had relaxed its policies for students wearing masks outdoors and will allow students to roam outdoors without a mask, even through recess, as long as they follow a safe social distance. On Friday, Austin ISD said it would still require students and staff to wear masks for the rest of the 2020-21 school year and graduation ceremonies despite the Centers of Disease Control's latest guidelines.