The School Board of Broward County, Florida voted today to amend School Board Policy 2170 to require vendors and visitors to wear face coverings while indoors in any District school, facility or vehicle beginning Monday, January 3, 2022. Students, although not required to wear face coverings due to a recent state law, and employees are strongly encouraged to do so.
The School Board of Broward County met on December 31 to discuss Policy 2170 due to the recent surge in COVID-19 cases during the holidays driven by the highly contagious omicron variant.
The new state law that went into effect on November 18, 2021, does not allow school districts to require face coverings for students or for school districts to use an ‘opt-out’ provision. Additionally, students may not be separated based on use of face coverings. School districts cannot provide intermittent virtual school options to students due to the Florida Department of Education’s emergency orders expiring this past summer.
“We are grateful to our parents, guardians and caregivers for their strong consideration and support in sending their children to school next week with face coverings. We are also thankful to our employees for wearing face coverings while at work,” said Broward County Public Schools Interim Superintendent Dr. Vickie L. Cartwright. “BCPS will continue to work with our partners to assist our students, with parent permission, and employees to have access to vaccines and tests.”
The District will continue to take the advice of local health officials and follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as it evaluates and adjusts COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
