Fulton County Schools ready to move to mask optional status

In response to a downward trend in COVID-19 cases throughout Fulton County, Fulton County Schools will be making some changes to its mask requirements in the coming weeks.

At the beginning of the school year, Fulton County Schools implemented a Mitigation Matrix, which uses data from its public health partners to make recommendations about how to best provide a productive and safe learning environment.

The level of mitigation increases or decreases in proportion to the number of cases in the community.  

Now, with the decreases in COVID numbers and calling upon the successful experience managing mitigation practices, the district is modifying the Mitigation Matrix to include local school data when making decisions about masking.  

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Schools will return to mask optional status based on any one of the following three criteria:   

1.) Before November 1, 2021, masks will be optional in schools and buildings in municipalities where the rate of infection has dropped below 100 per 100,000 for two consecutive weeks.  

2.) Beginning November 1, 2021, the district will start waiving masking for individual schools if the ratio of cases in a school remains less than .01 of enrollment.  

3.) Thirty days following the expansion of vaccine eligibility for children five and older, masks will become optional for students, staff and visitors.    

The school system will continue to monitor attendance rates and reported cases by classroom and school. If a school, grade level, class or team experiences an increase in COVID-19 positive cases, they may move to mask required status. Additionally, masks are still required on buses in compliance with federal mandate.

HOW TO GET VACCINATED: COVID-19 has killed more than 30,000 Georgia residents. Don’t let yourself or your loved ones die from a preventable virus. COVID vaccines are free and widely available statewide without insurance or identification. To find a vaccination location or to schedule an appointment, visit https://dph.georgia.gov/covid-vaccine.