By ZEINAB NAJM
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS – Crestwood School District and Dearborn Heights District 7 lifted their district wide mask mandates in their buildings following an announcement from the Wayne County Health Department.
The Wayne County Health, Human & Veterans Services rescinded its emergency order Feb. 17 for wearing masks in educational settings. With the mandate lifted, school districts were able to either change or maintain their face mask rules.
Due to the federal transportation mask mandate, students and staff still are required to wear masks on all forms of district transportation and school buses.
In a letter to the community, Crestwood Supt. Youssef Mosallam said masks are optional for staff, students and visitors.
“As we head into the ‘endemic’ we understand that many would like to continue the mask mandate and many would like it to be lifted completely,” Mosallam said. “Therefore, this is why we are moving to make being optional.”
In District 7, the letter from Supt. Ty Weeks said the district would be following the change in the mask mandate.
“The reasoning for this decision is to allow families an opportunity to speak to their children about what decisions they will be making regarding their choice to wear a face mask while at school,” he said. “We honor and respect our families and want to allow time for this important conversation.”
The letter also mentioned that while masks are no longer mandated indoors on school property, the use of a face mask will continue to be recommended as a part of a layered safety plan to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Reasons why masking remains important were included in the Human & Veterans Services announcement by Neighborhood Service Organization Chief Medical and Health Officer Avani Sheth.
• Masking continues to be recommended as an important tool to decrease the spread of COVID-19.
• Children should continue to be supported to wear a mask, including, but not limited to for reasons such as individual and or household risk factors and vaccination status.
• Masking continues to be recommended as part of isolation and quarantine periods.
For more information go to www.waynecounty.com.
(Zeinab Najm can be reached at [email protected].)