The wearing of face masks for preventing the spread of covid-19 are optional in the Jacksonville/North Pulaski School District, the School Board voted Monday night.
The district had required wearing of the face masks on district properties throughout the just-ended 2020-21 school year — even after Gov. Asa Hutchinson lifted a statewide mask mandate on March 30.
Jacksonville/North Pulaski School Board member Jim Moore proposed the revision in the district’s position at the board’s regular monthly meeting.
Superintendent Bryan Duffie didn’t object to the revision, noting that the mask-wearing requirement is about to be eliminated by state law. The district — as a governmental agency — will no longer be able to mandate mask-wearing after July 29 because of a law passed earlier this year by state lawmakers.