As tensions continue to mount between parents and school boards over whether masks should be required or optional for the start of the 2021-22 school year, state Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-Bucks) recently let his opinion on the matter be known.
He sent letters to each school board with schools in the 10th Senatorial District – Pennsbury, Council Rock, Central Bucks, Morrisville, New Hope-Solebury and Pennridge – urging them to adopt CDC guidance and require all students, teachers, staff and visitors in K-12 schools to wear masks.
He noted that Bucks County was recently categorized as an area of high-level community transmission. With no vaccines currently approved for children under 12, Santarsiero said these students remain vulnerable to COVID-19.
“The goal we all share is for students and faculty to have a productive and safe in-person school year,” said Santarsiero. “Requiring masks at this time will help achieve that goal and stop the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.
“Hopefully in the near future, we will get to a point where more people are vaccinated and the spread of the virus and variants is slowed. “Until then, it is most prudent that we continue to use the mitigation efforts we have seen work against this virus, so that our schools can remain open, and our students and teachers can benefit from in-person learning.”
