Governor Andy Beshear announced strong recommendations for the upcoming school year that includes masking for kids under the age of 12.
The latest guidance for the start of school next month is not a mask mandate but instead a recommendation. The final decision on masks will come at the local level. Beshear said all school districts should require all unvaccinated students to wear a mask and that all kids under 12 should also be required to wear a mask. He also said any unvaccinated teacher or adult indoors should also wear a mask.
click to download audioHe added the delta variant of COVID-19 spreads much faster among the unvaccinated which includes children under 12.
click to download audioJason Glass, the commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education, said the clear goal of the guidance is to prioritize in-person learning, encourage and promote vaccination, and continue indoor social distancing and disinfection efforts. He also had a message for the state’s teachers.
click to download audioBeshear said if schools don’t take mitigation strategies seriously, it will lead to missed days and quarantines. When asked if a mask mandate was off the table for schools this fall, the governor said it was not.
click to download audioBeshear said an escalating rate among unvaccinated people is driving the spread in the rise of new cases in the state which topped 5,000 just last week.
