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Allen Park Public Schools will require universal masking this fall

Face masks to be required indoors, at sporting events, on buses

Students sit in an Algebra class at Barbara Coleman Senior High School on the first day of school, Monday, Aug. 23, 2021, in Miami Lakes, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) (Marta Lavandier, Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Allen Park’s public school district has adopted a universal masking policy for the upcoming school year amid the ongoing pandemic.

In an Aug. 17 letter to the Allen Park Public Schools community, superintendent Michael Darga announced the adoption of several masking policies for the 2021-2022 academic year to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. In addition to required mask wearing among all students and staff while indoors, the policies are as follows:

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  • Face coverings are required for all staff and students on school buses and private transportation carriers.
  • Face coverings are required indoors for all student-athletes. Student-athletes may remove their mask when participating/competing in their indoor sport, but remain masked while on the bench.
  • Face coverings are required indoors for all visitors, coaches and spectators.

“We will continue to follow the guidance of our local, state, and federal health experts for the safety and well-being of our students, staff, families, and communities and reassess as needed,” Darga wrote. “The district will closely monitor for evidence of in-school transmissions and re-evaluate the mode of instruction plan on a classroom or building level as necessary.”

Click here to read the entire letter from Superintendent Darga.

Allen Park Public Schools is among several Michigan school districts that have adopted mask mandates in an effort to prevent COVID spread while students return to in-person learning amid the pandemic. Such universal masking mandates continue to be widely debated among school communities and parents across Metro Detroit.

Related: School mask, vaccine mandates supported in US: AP-NORC poll

Michigan health officials have recommended universal mask wearing for all students and school staff in the fall as COVID-19 cases trend upward once again, in line with guidance from the CDC. The state is not planning to issue a mask mandate at all schools, however.

Individual school districts have been left to decide if masks should be mandated or not at their schools.

We’re keeping track of which Michigan school districts and colleges are requiring face masks this fall -- see the list here, or check it out below.


More: COVID in Michigan news


About the Author
Cassidy Johncox headshot

Cassidy Johncox is a senior digital news editor covering stories across the spectrum, with a special focus on politics and community issues.

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