November 22, 2024
Coronavirus

ISBE updates mask guidance: Everyone should wear masks

For the question of who should wear a mask, ISBE has one word: Everyone

By John Sahly
Face mask requirements are posted at the various entrances at the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium where COVID-19 vaccinations are being offered on the Jackson State University campus in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, July 27, 2021. The university has similar signage posted throughout the campus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new recommendations that vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging and also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Face mask requirements are posted at the various entrances at the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium where COVID-19 vaccinations are being offered on the Jackson State University campus in Jackson, Miss., Tuesday, July 27, 2021. The university has similar signage posted throughout the campus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced new recommendations that vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging and also recommended indoor masks for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis) (Rogelio V. Solis/AP)

The Illinois State Board of Education updated its mask guidance Monday morning for the upcoming school year.

For the question of who should wear a mask, the ISBE has one word: everyone.

“[The] IDPH and ISBE endorse the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s] recommendation that all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools wear a mask while indoors, regardless of vaccination status,” according to the updated guidance.

While not a mandate, it is an increase in strength in the ISBE’s mask recommendations. This comes after an update last week from the Illinois Department of Public Health, which issued an updated FAQ that included a statement to any districts that choose to not follow CDC mask guidance to check with their insurers regarding risk assumption and liability coverage.

Illinois has seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations over the past month, and a majority of the state is now experiencing high or substantial transmission, according to the CDC’s county-level tracker, prompting counties across the state to advise residents to wear masks indoors, regardless of their vaccination status.

[ COVID-19 cases in Illinois kids rising back to early May levels, still well off November peak ]

The ISBE’s Monday guidance update also includes the recommendation that schools that continue to require people 2 and older to wear a mask should make exceptions for the following categories of people:

• A person who cannot wear a mask or cannot safely wear a mask because of a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Discuss the possibility of reasonable accommodation with workers who are not fully vaccinated, who are unable to wear a mask or who have difficulty wearing certain types of masks because of a disability.

• A person for whom wearing a mask would create a risk to workplace health, safety or job duty as determined by the relevant workplace safety guidelines or federal regulations.

CoronavirusIDPHMasksISBE
John Sahly

John Sahly

John Sahly is the digital editor for the Shaw Local News Network. He has been with Shaw Media since 2008, previously serving as the Northwest Herald's digital editor, and the Daily Chronicle sports editor and sports reporter.