Students in St. Paul will no longer be required to wear masks in classrooms, starting Monday, as long as the spread of COVID-19 remains in check.
The school board on Tuesday changed the district’s mask policy, removing the mandate and allowing students and faculty to choose whether or not to don a face covering in public schools.
The resolution passed 6-1 during a sometimes raucous committee of the board meeting as about two dozen demonstrators at times interrupted the proceedings. Board Member Uriah Ward was the lone dissenting vote.
One man repeatedly shouted, “What about the Constitution?” during the proceedings, then retreated to the back of the room to record video of the board meeting.
The new policy requires students, faculty and staff to wear masks inside school buildings only if coronavirus transmission levels reached the highest mitigation tier as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
That is, if the county registers more than 200 infections per 100,000 residents in a one-week period and logs more than 20 hospitalizations or if more than 15% of its hospital beds are occupied by COVID-positive patients.