San Francisco public schools are reversing course on their mask policy.
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The San Francisco Unified School District initially planned to keep its rules in place when California's mandate for K-12 schools and childcare centers is lifted a week from Saturday.
Now, masks will become optional after all, with the district transitioning to strongly recommending, but no longer requiring, masks in middle schools, high schools and central offices beginning on March 12.
The district and its unions announced announced on Friday the mask policy would change for everyone else on April 2 as part of their agreement.
"In San Francisco, our middle and high schools have vaccinated at very high levels, in the 90s (percent)," Vincent Matthews, the district's superintendent, told KCBS Radio on Friday. "But however, our elementary students have lagged. It's been around 60% in the city, so our goal is to give parents additional time get elementary students vaccinated."
Matthews said families will ultimately decide whether to send their children to school in masks. But after all the ups and downs of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said he's glad to hear that public health officials now say it's safe enough to make this change.
"I think it's a great step for our community, great step for our district and what it says is that we have made progress as a community," Matthews said, noting that "rates of spread have definitely significantly decreased" while Bay Area vaccination rates are "extremely high."
The district said it would send coronavirus test kits to every student and staff member before spring break so everyone can make sure they aren't COVID-positive when classes resume on April 4.
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