The Maryland State Board of Education voted 12 to 2 Tuesday in favor of ending the statewide mask mandate in schools. The vote came moments after state superintendent Mohammed Choudhury recommended returning control of masking guidelines to local school divisions.
“I think it is the right time to return it back to local control,” state superintendent Mohammed Choudhury said at the Tuesday SBOE meeting. “I would recommend to you to consider sending it back to the locals. We have a very smart response. We have very smart off ramps. Let them decide if they want to come up and use one of the off ramps, they can. If they do not, then that is fine.”
RELATED | Montgomery County’s indoor mask mandate set to expire
Choudhury cited better overall conditions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, including more testing and more available vaccines.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan issued a statement immediately following the vote, saying the action was a step in the right direction to returning to normal. In recent weeks, Hogan has been urging the board to eliminate the mask mandate. He thanked parents for speaking out and supporting the measure.
“I want to thank the State Board of Education for heeding our call to rescind its school mask policy. This action aligns with the data and the science, the recommendation of the State Superintendent of Schools, and the guidance of medical professionals across the country,” Hogan said in a statement. “I also want to express my sincere appreciation to all the parents who have spoken out in recent weeks. At a time when Maryland has the lowest COVID-19 metrics in the country, this is a major step for normalcy and the well-being of our students.”
ALSO SEE | With Montgomery County mask mandate ending Monday night, here’s what you need to know
Approval by a joint legislative committee will be the next step in finalizing the new guidance.
“The General Assembly must now act swiftly to ratify the State Board’s decision,” Hogan said.
On Tuesday, the Hogan administration said Maryland’s Covid-19 positivity rate has fallen below 3 percent for the first time since November, and ICU levels dropped to a six-month low.
Before the vote, Cheryl Bost, president of MSEA – the state’s teachers union – urged the state school board to wait a week or two for new CDC guidance before eliminating the mask mandate in schools.
“As the frustration and fatigue of the pandemic wears on for everyone, we still must remain focused on health and safety for all,” Bost said Tuesday at the SBOE meeting. “The CDC is expected to come out with new masking guidance, maybe as soon as today or this week. The current regulations are working. The systems are reaching safe levels of off ramps, as designed.”
ALSO SEE | Here’s where the DMV stands as leaders begin to loosen COVID restrictions
