Public school students across Maryland must wear masks inside schools.
The Maryland State Board of Education gave overwhelming approval to an emergency regulation requiring masks during a special Thursday afternoon meeting.
The decision comes less than a week before many K-12 students return to school and as COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, positivity rates, and transmission rates have been climbing in Maryland, largely due to the delta variant.
Board members said it is important for students to be in school and requiring masks will ensure fewer students miss days due to illness.
Clarence C. Crawford, president of the state school board, said in-person instruction is better for students than the virtual instruction used for much of the past school year.
The emergency regulation now goes to a legislative committee for review and approval. Emergency regulations expire 180 days after being filed with the committee.
State School Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury’s memo to the state school board, including the text of the proposed regulation, is below.
MdSchoolsMaskRegulation