Phenix City Schools changes mask policy after CDC revises K-12 COVID guidance
A third school district in the Columbus area has changed its mask policy, based on revised guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as COVID-19 infections surge again.
Effective Aug. 3, Phenix City Schools will require face coverings to be worn by everyone inside district buildings. The only exception, PCS superintendent Randy Wilkes told the Ledger-Enquirer, will be in offices and unoccupied spaces.
“Phenix City Schools will continue to monitor the schools and local COVID-19 data in hopes the local conditions improve and the mask requirement will become optional in the near future,” PCS announced in a news release Thursday. “Phenix City Schools encourages vaccinations of all eligible persons.”
The Alabama Department of Public Health is expected to adopt the CDC’s recommendation as early as next week, the release states.
The district asks that parents complete the COVID reporting form when students are in close contact, symptomatic or test positive.
The PCS announcement came a day after the school districts in Muscogee and Chattahoochee counties also switched their mask policy from optional to mandatory inside district buildings.
The school districts in Harris, Russell and Lee counties haven’t announced any change to their optional mask policies.
This story was originally published July 29, 2021 at 4:35 PM.
