In a move that will be different from last year, Louisiana public school leaders are deferring to local school officials on face masks and other safety measures amid the rising number of cases of the coronavirus.
Sandy Holloway, president of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, said the board is standing by guidelines by the state Department of Education released on July 8, well before the latest surge.
BESE sets policy for the state’s public school systems.
The guidelines are based on recommendations of the Louisiana Department of Health and the federal Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. Some school districts start classes the first week of August.
The state approach this time represents a sharp contrast with 2020, when the pandemic was about four months old. On July 14, 2020, BESE approved minimum safety standards for the reopening of public schools that included face mask requirements for students and adults alike.
