GA Gov Rules Out Mask Mandate For Public Schools

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports:

Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday ruled out ordering public school systems to impose mask mandates for returning students and teachers, echoing his preference that local education officials decide whether to require face coverings to contain the spread of the coronavirus.

Kemp, speaking at the opening of a testing site at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, said he was confident that school superintendents can make their own decisions about whether masks are necessary in their districts as he continued to encourage but not require their use.

Kemp’s approach to mask usage at schools contrasts with his stance on whether local governments can institute restrictions on their own. He filed a lawsuit last month challenging the city of Atlanta’s mask mandate and other coronavirus restrictions, and the outcome could influence more than a dozen other similar ordinances across Georgia.

Yesterday a Georgia school reported nine COVID cases after photos of crowded hallways went viral. That school is now temporarily giving lessons online.