RISD Superintendent Jeannie Stone
Following winter break, RISD elementary schoolers will no longer be required to wear masks starting Dec. 17.
Thanks to a drop in active COVID-19 cases and the recent vaccine approval and availability for children 5 to 11 years old, the district’s worries have waned.
After the Dec. 17 date when mask requirements are lifted, masks will be optional and encouraged, according to Superintendent Jeannie Stone in a video.
The district already removed mask requirements for secondary school students. It went into effect on Nov. 3. However, RISD will continue to monitor for outbreaks if they occur.
“If things reverse and an outbreak occurs with substantial transmission at school or in a classroom, masks could be revisited on a temporary classroom by classroom basis as a mitigation tool if it becomes needed,” Superintendent Stone said in the video statement.
You can find more of RISD’s COVID policies here.
