The Wichita Board of Education voted in a special meeting Tuesday to lift the current mask mandate for school buildings at the end of the day on March 10th, ending the mandate just before spring break.
The motion was made by board member Sheril Logan, who said COVID-19 rates have been going down and assuming that will continue to be the trend, the mandate can be lifted on the 10th.
Board member Kathy Bond moved to drop the mandate immediately. She said parents should be given the option on whether to send their children to school with masks, and students, teachers and staff can continue to wear masks if they choose to.
Bond’s motion was defeated by a 4-3 vote, and Logan’s motion to drop the mandate on March 10th was approved by the same count. New board members Bond, Diane Albert and Hazel Stabler were the three votes in favor of an immediate end to the mandate.
Because of federal regulations on public transportation, masks will still be required on school buses and district transportation.
