DETROIT – The time has officially come for some districts to finally remove the mask from the classroom setting as more and more counties adhere to new CDC recommendations.
Judy Seaberry is one guardian still on the fence on if she wants her grandchild to follow through.
“I think they should still be wearing masks,” Seaberry said.
“If you want to wear your mask, just put the mask on your face,” said parent Noriko Nakamura. “But if you don’t want to, it’s optional. Totally up to you.”
Districts in Oakland and Washtenaw Counties are the two newest systems that no longer have to mask up. Novi Schools Superintendent Dr. Steve Matthews says their district made the change to a mask optional policy about a week ago.
“So far, we’ve been very pleased with how it’s gone,” said Dr. Matthews. “I’ll walk through a school, and I’ll see students and staff with masks. I’ll see students without masks. Right now, I think it’s going very well,”
Similar story in Wayne County where Dearborn Schools Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko says students have had the option to go maskless for several days now.
“I would say right now I see about 50/50, depending on which school you’re in,” said Dr. Maleyko. “Just want to make sure that everyone feels comfortable that if you choose to wear it, it’s fine. If you choose not to wear it, it’s also acceptable within our current guidelines. Our COVID numbers are very low right now, so we feel good about it.”
Either way, parent Ruthie Miller wants her child to stay as safe as possible.
“I agree for us at this point to continue masking,” Miller said. “It’s for the safety of us that choose to do it. It’s a personal choice. People shouldn’t be fearful over something that’s new.”