The Mountain View School District will require masks be worn at school until at least Sept. 20.That decision comes in the wake of surging COVID-19 numbers across the state and in light of no COVID vaccines to date authorized for use in those younger than 12 years old.
The Stone County Leader reports that the Mountain View School Board voted 5-2 Monday night to require mask use for teachers and students in all grades, regardless of vaccination status. The school board will evaluate the situation on a month-by-month basis.
Act 1002, which went into effect on July 1, bans school districts or other government agencies from enacting mask mandates. Following several legal challenges to that law, Pulaski County Circuit Court Judge Timothy Fox ordered that its enforcement be suspended until the lawsuits are resolved, most likely with a ruling from the Arkansas Supreme Court.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson says he is in favor of each school district being able to decide whether it wants its students to wear masks or not.
Other north Arkansas school districts adopting some sort of mask mandate include Fayetteville, Eureka Springs and Batesville. Fayetteville and Eureka Springs’ policies state that all students and staff are required to wear masks indoors or while traveling in a school vehicle, while Batesville’s mask requirement does not go into effect unless Independence County’s risk level is rated Red or higher on the covidactnow.gov website.
Mountain Home School District Superintendent Dr. Jake Long says he “strongly recommends” students and staff use masks when indoors, especially when social distancing is a challenge and space is limited.
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