WARREN, Mich. – School districts across Michigan are choosing to require masks or let them be optional.
Warren Consolidated Schools will require masks be worn by students and staff indoors. Officials believe the mask requirement will save lives.
The school district has seven board members. They did not vote on a mask mandate, but Superintendent Robert Livernois said he made the decision with the full support of the board.
“We’re really in a no-win situation considering how polarized this issue is,” Livernois said.
Citing a lack of guidance from the state, the school district said implementing a mask mandate was not an easy decision but it was necessary.
There are 14,000 students in the district, which makes it the 10th largest in the state.
“We have hundreds of students, maybe, if not thousands in our district that have asthma or underlying conditions,” Livernois said. “I have to prioritize that first.”
School officials are also concerned about the rapid spread of the delta variant.
Read: Tracking Michigan school districts, colleges requiring masks for 2021-2022 school year
Watch the full interview with Livernois below: