Governor Asa Hutchinson announced during Tuesday's news conference, March 30, he lifted the statewide mask mandate. He also announced that all Arkansans 16 and older are now eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
After the announcement, Todd Parker, director of curriculum and professional development for the Jasper School District, sent an email to parents stating that the governor and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) are allowing local districts to decide how to proceed with masking for the remainder of the year.
During the March meeting of the Jasper School District Board of Education, board members voted to no longer require students and staff to wear masks at school once the mask mandate was lifted. Therefore, beginning Wednesday, April 1, masking will no longer be required on any of the school district's campuses, Parker stated. "However, anyone who wants to continue wearing a mask certainly has that option," he added.
State officials said Tuesday that if both people are wearing masks, they will not be required to quarantine if identified as probable close contacts. "This is an incentive for our students and staff who aren’t vaccinated and wish to avoid quarantine by continuing to wear their masks while in close proximity with another person," Parker noted.
He said this is the only thing that has changed in the district's Ready for Learning Plan. "We will continue with staff temperature screenings, sanitizing, hand washing, disinfecting, limiting visitor access to campuses, and social distancing. Our Ready for Learning Committee, which consists of students, staff, parents, and community partners, will be meeting in the very near future, as districts are required to modify their plan and must have it posted for public comment by April 15. You will have the opportunity to provide any input into the revised plan during the public comment period," Parker concluded.
The decision to lift the mask mandate came after the governor, in consultation with Secretary Jose Romero, of the Arkansas Department of Health, determined that Arkansas has met the guidelines set on February 26. Businesses still have the right to require customers to wear masks, and the governor asked that citizens respect these requirements.
"I've talked to a number of restaurant owners who will continue requiring masks within their restaurant for the safety of their employees and patrons," Governor Hutchinson said during his weekly COVID-19 update. "Please be respectful and mindful that, while the mask mandate has been lifted, many businesses will continue to require it."
The Governor also announced that vaccine eligibility is open to all Arkansans 16 and older. "We want Arkansans to get vaccinated because it is our path out of the pandemic. It is the way to get there quicker, and we want to ensure we give every Arkansan that opportunity," Governor Hutchinson said.
