NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – Though the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners voted Wednesday evening to lift the county’s mask mandate, the school district’s counterpart policy remained unchanged Monday.
“We do not have a timeline for lifting the requirements we have in place,” said Nassau County School District Assistant Superintendent Mark Durham. “We will continue to coordinate with our local health department in all decisions related to keeping our students and staff safe during the coronavirus pandemic.”
On September 3, the NCSD adjusted its facial covering policy to omit face shields as an acceptable option.
“This change does not mean that students will be required to wear their masks for 100% of the school day. There will be opportunities throughout the day for students at all levels (grades K- 12) to remove their masks,” a district media release said. “This change will enhance our ability to keep coronavirus from spreading in our schools.”
Duval County
In Duval County, the local school district sent out a robocall reminding families that while the state had moved into Phase 3 of Gov. Ron DeSantis' reopening plan, nothing about the DCPS facemask policy or any other protocol had changed.
The district also put the message out on social media Monday.
The Governor’s action moving the state into phase three reopening has led to questions about face coverings at schools. The district’s face covering policy hasn’t changed. Students and staff are doing a great job helping to minimize the impact of the pandemic on our schools. pic.twitter.com/h85tjYfP9C
— DCPS (@DuvalSchools) September 28, 2020
On Monday, the final phase of DCPS’ “bridge to reopening” plan took effect, allowing high school students who chose the brick-and-mortar learning option to return to the physical classroom five days a week.
St. Johns County
The St. Johns County School District imposed its mask policy on July 10 and has not issued any updates or changes as of Monday. St. Augustine upgraded its mask recommendation to a full-fledged mandate on July 7 and a county-level face-covering requirement was struck down on June 30.
Clay County
The Clay County School District’s mask policy also remains unchanged as of Monday and Nicole Young, the district’s communications coordinator, said the board was not discussing any changes to it.
The county government in Clay did not impose a mask mandate on its citizens.
Young said there’s no timeline on a decision to lift the school district’s mask policy, but did not rule out the possibility that it could happen before the end of the school year.
“The district is working collaboratively with the Florida Department of Health in Clay County when it comes to the face coverings policy," Young said.
Most school districts in northeast Florida have been following the lead of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when formulating their face mask policies. However, after searching the CDC’s website, News4Jax could not find any clear guidance on when its mask recommendation might expire.