Woodridge schools will make masks optional starting Jan. 10

Phil Keren, Akron Beacon Journal
·1 min read
Woodridge Local Schools Superintendent Walter Davis, pictured here at a past board of education meeting, has announced that masking will be optional for district students and staff starting Jan. 10, 2022.
Woodridge Local Schools Superintendent Walter Davis, pictured here at a past board of education meeting, has announced that masking will be optional for district students and staff starting Jan. 10, 2022.

Masking for students and staff members in the Woodridge Local School District will become optional in the second week of January, according to the superintendent.

Woodridge has had a mask mandate in place since Sept. 7 as part of its protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

"Beginning on Monday, Jan. 10, masks will be optional for students and staff in the Woodridge schools," said Walter Davis, the district's leader, in an announcement issued Nov. 24. "Although we still recommend masks - they will not be required - except while riding the school bus. Masks are required on buses as part of a federal mandate."

In announcing the upcoming change, Davis noted that the district's youngest students recently became eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and added that many of those children are scheduled to receive their second dose in mid-December.

Davis said district leaders will continue to monitor COVID-19 case counts and other data in and around the district.

"We will amend our protocols whenever it becomes necessary to do so," he added.

Reporter Phil Keren can be reached at pkeren@thebeaconjournal.com, or on Twitter at @keren_phil.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Woodridge schools will make masks optional starting Jan. 10