GRAYSON COUNTY, Va. – Grayson County Schools will not force a mask mandate when school starts next month.
Superintendent Kelly Wilmore said it will be students’ and staff’s choice whether they want to wear masks in school and on buses.
He said because coronavirus cases are low in the county, he will not make it a requirement.
However, social distancing will still be in place along with temperature checks when arriving at school.
These measures are similar to the ones that were issued last year as Wilmore was trying to encourage safe in-person learning.
He said online learning is not the best method for their rural area because of the frequent internet accessibility issues the families face.
“Last year, everybody said we were crazy to go to school on time and we did,” he said. “Everybody said we were crazy at Thanksgiving not to close. We didn’t. And we still made it through without any problems. So I got confidence in our staff, and our parents, and our kids.”
Wilmore said they will host a vaccination clinic for students and employees before school starts if they would like a dose.
Parents will need to give permission before a student can get vaccinated.
Once a coronavirus vaccine is approved for children under the age of 13, Wilmore said they will arrange another clinic to help administer shots.