Hamilton County School officials said in light of local COVID-19 trends, as well as the availability of vaccines for all students, "we are making masks optional for all HCS students and staff beginning Monday."
Officials said, "We will no longer use an 'opt-out' form for face coverings. This decision also reflects recent legislation that restricts districts from imposing mask mandates when COVID-19 cases are below the statutory guidance, which is true in Hamilton County at this time.
"This fall, we saw the Delta Variant increase the seven-day moving average of new daily cases to 366. Since then, our community has seen a continuous and now rapid decline of cases. As of yesterday, our current seven-day average was 41 active cases.
"The district is also encouraged by vaccination trends in our community. We are happy to note that 51 percent of Hamilton County residents are fully vaccinated, with 46 percent of 12 to 15-year-olds at least partially vaccinated. Seventy-one percentof our staff have received at least one dose. And as of this week, vaccinations are now approved for all school-aged children, starting at age five.
"HCS is working to schedule an additional vaccination event to include elementary-aged children. We support parental choice with regard to health decisions, including the decision to wear masks. So, we welcome students and staff on our campuses with or without masks.
"Our staff may request face coverings in situations where we need to be sensitive to immune-compromised individuals, especially when we have large gatherings. We ask that you consider these requests as a courtesy to others in our community. We will continue to monitor COVID-19 data trends and guidance. As needed, HCS may re-establish mask mandates on a school-by-school basis in compliance with state law."