A day after initially saying students in the state’s K-12 public schools who refuse to wear masks indoors wouldn't be allowed on campuses, California public health officials said in a Tuesday statement "enforcement will continue to be handled by local schools."
The California Department of Public Health first released guidance Monday that said schools "must exclude students from campus … if they refuse to wear (a mask) provided by the school" and don’t otherwise have a medical exemption from wearing a face covering, which research shows helps limit the spread of COVID-19.
Tuesday's guidance didn’t include that line, instead noting schools must provide masks to students who inadvertently don’t bring one to school "to prevent unnecessary exclusions." Once again, the guidance said "schools should offer alternative educational opportunities for students who are excluded from campus because they will not wear a face covering."
"Mask enforcement will continue to be handled by local schools as the state recognizes the unique needs of each district and child," the department said in a statement sent to KCBS Radio and other outlets.
Hours after first releasing Monday’s guidance, the department tweeted the "guidance will be clarified" following pushback, and even legal threats, from critics.
Officials announced on Friday that the state will require all students to wear masks, shortly after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said face coverings were not needed in schools if physical distancing could be maintained. California won't mandate distancing, thus masks will be required for all students regardless of their vaccination status.
Just under 6% of Californians with at least one shot of the COVID-19 vaccine are children over the age of 12, according to state data released Tuesday. Children aged 12-17 comprise 9.3% of the vaccine-eligible population.
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