Fort Worth ISD To Mandate Masks Starting Monday
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - Mandatory masks are coming back to Fort Worth ISD buildings and classrooms starting Monday, Sept. 13 in an effort to protect against the spread of COVID-19.
At the direction of the Fort Worth ISD Board of Education, Superintendent Kent P. Scribner will implement a mask requirement for employees, students, and visitors of the Fort Worth ISD, the district announced Thursday, Sept. 9.
The directive requires all staff, parents, students, and visitors to wear protective face masks at all Fort Worth ISD indoor facilities, absent a medical exemption.
The decision to wear a mask at outdoor activities and events is up to the individual.
This resolution also directs the superintendent to review the necessity for maintaining the mandate on a monthly basis by using CDC guidelines, medical guidelines and local hospital capacity.
He is to advise the board on his conclusions.
The district will implement the same indoor mask protocol staff and students followed during the 2020-21 school year.
RELATED: More Than 1,000 Fort Worth ISD Students, Staff In Quarantine Due To COVID-19 1 Week Into School Year
Board of Education trustees approved the resolution at a special board meeting on Aug. 26, but implementation was halted by a temporary restraining order and subsequently a temporary injunction filed by four parents and granted by Tarrant County District Judge John Chupp.
Attorneys representing the school district filed an appeal to Second Court of Appeals.
As a result of this action, the temporary injunction is paused and not enforceable against the district until further notice.
Additionally, the Fort Worth ISD was granted a temporary injunction in Travis County that prohibits the governor from enforcing Executive Order GA-38, which prohibits governmental entities from mandating masks, against the school district, FWISD said.
The governor did not seek any injunction against the district in that lawsuit.
FWISD said accordingly, at this time there are no court orders or executive orders that are prohibiting the district from implementing a mask requirement.
READ THE RESOLUTION HERE