Kansas City, MO – The Johnson County Board of Commissioners voted 5-2 Thursday afternoon to require masks for all students, staff and visitors in the county’s elementary schools grades K-6, as the COVID-19 Delta variant spreads.
Voting for the the new mask rule, Commissioner Janee’ Hanzlick said, "The best outcome for our students is to have in-person school, and masks will help us reduce outbreaks and keep kids in school, and in sports.”
During public comments at the meeting, the commission faced criticism from those who don’t like masks, as well as from health care providers who urged them to go further to protect the health of the public, hoping to arrest the spread of the Delta variant.
“This is not a communitywide measure, this is targeted toward the school setting, limited to those students who don’t have access to the vaccines," said Joe Connor, Assistant JOCO County Manager, explaining why the order doesn’t cover all students Pre-K-12.
Supporters of the mandate said it's crucial to having in-person learning.