The Cobb County School District announced late Thursday afternoon that fully vaccinated students and staff no longer have to wear masks or practice social distancing.
The district announcement came after the Centers for Disease Control updated its guidance for people who have been fully vaccinated.
The Cobb schools announcement states the following:
Fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance;
Fully vaccinated people can refrain from testing following a known exposure unless they are residents or employees of a correctional or detention facility or a homeless shelter.
The announcement didn’t state whether people not wearing masks on Cobb school campuses or for related activities would have to show a proof of vaccination.
The current academic year ends in the Cobb school district on May 26.
This week the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use for the Pfizer vaccine for ages 12-15.
The Cobb school district said that students and staff who wish to continue wearing masks may still do so, and that as “our cases are continuing to trend down and vaccinations are trending up, we fully expect to start the 2021-2022 school year with masks as optional.”
The first day of school is Aug. 2.
The Cobb school district imposed a mask mandate for all students and staff when in-person instruction began in October.
In March, several parents sued the district to drop the mask mandate, but their request for a temporary restraining order was denied last week in federal court. The lawsuit remains pending, according to Robert Madayag, one of the parent group’s attorneys.
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