Despite a district-wide requirement, just about 8% of Plano ISD pupils will not be required to wear masks to school because their parents requested an exemption.
The Plano school board decided earlier this week to mandate masks inside classrooms, but it created a gap for parents who don't want to send their kids to school wearing a face mask.
By completing a short online form, parents could exclude their child for moral, spiritual, or medical reasons. According to the district's announcement on Friday evening, some 3,800 children chose not to wear a mask for a variety of reasons. ISD Plano educates more than 50,000 children.
A district spokesperson was unable to say on Friday how many of the exemptions were granted for philosophical as opposed to medical reasons.
A 10% or higher exemption percentage was present in about 20 schools. According to a district dashboard, 1 in 5 students at two elementary schools are free from wearing a mask.
Regardless of immunization status, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises universal masking inside schools. More than half of pupils in public schools are too young to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
A number of districts are disobeying the governor's order, which prohibits school districts from requiring masks in the classroom. Beginning this school year, there has been an increase in COVID-19 cases brought on by the extremely contagious delta variety.
Plano's mask requirement, which will be in effect until September 24 or until a decision is made in the continuing legal dispute between the city and Abbott, was reached following lengthy negotiations with district attorneys and fervent appeals from parents on both sides of the debate.
Parents have until Wednesday night to submit an online request for an exemption after the PISD trustees' 6-1 vote on the mandate on Monday.
During the meeting, board president David Stolle stated that the district is dealing with "a surge issue that we can not ignore." The trustees looked over case data that revealed more pupils have tested positive so far this year than at the last high point for the district.
"Opportunity for Mask Exemption," read the subject line of an email sent to parents on Wednesday by Hedgcoxe Elementary's administration. 12% of kids at that school will not be obliged to wear masks.
274 confirmed student cases are shown on the district's COVID-19 dashboard as of August 22, though. Many more tests have since returned positively, according to trustees.
According to a Friday email to families, Garland ISD is also allowing parents to request mask exemptions on behalf of their children.
Comments