The Plano ISD board has finally voted to temporarily require masks inside Plano schools according to a Fox 4 KDFW news article from August 23. The article reports,
“The mask mandate was enacted in a 6-1 afternoon vote and will begin August 26 and go until September 24.
Masks will be required when inside district buildings and district-provided transportation. There are religious, medical, and administrative exceptions. Parents who want to opt-out of the mask mandate will be allowed to fill out a form.”
However, the emergency board meeting that was held was filled with tension according to a Dallas Morning News article from August 23 which reports,
“Roughly 90 parents and community members testified during Plano’s emergency meeting before trustees went into closed session.
Even before the meeting began, tensions were high. People in support of a mask mandate stood on one side of the building, imploring families to follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance that recommends universal masking in schools. They said it was necessary to keep all children safe, especially those too young to receive the vaccine.”
In a Facebook post about the Plano ISD board’s decision, many people were quick to flock in support and approval of the mask mandate. One parent said,
“Go for it, Plano. Do the moral thing. Protect the children, teachers, and staff to keep them safe and healthy. Mandate vaccines as well.”
In the same post, another woman commented,
“It should happen!!! We must all do our part to keep people safe. I will gladly wear a mask if it means protecting an immunocompromised or at-risk student/teacher, spouse of a teacher, or parent/grandparent of the above.”