Updated Mask Requirements In Gwinnett County Schools Begins Second Semester

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA — Gwinnett County Public Schools has implemented a new face mask policy based on community transmission.

The district said it will post information Jan. 3 on both SchoolMessenger and on the district's website to inform parents and employees of the community transmission level and mask rules for that week.

Following the guidance of the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH):

• Masks will be required in all GCPS facilities during periods of "Substantial" or "High" community transmission.
• When community transmission has been maintained at the "Moderate" level for two consecutive weeks, GCPS will transition to strongly recommending masks in all of its facilities. (This means that if Gwinnett County has been in the "Moderate" range for the two weeks prior to the beginning of the 2nd semester, students and staff will return in January with masks strongly recommended.)
• Masks will still be mandated on buses in compliance with federal mandates.

The school district will continue to follow the Georgia DPH guidance regarding isolation for confirmed and probable cases and quarantine for those identified as close contacts.

"When the decision was made to implement the mask mandate in July, primary considerations were the high transmission rates in the community and the fact that our students were ineligible for the vaccine," said Superintendent Calvin J. Watts in a statement.

"Since then, much progress has been made in terms of decreasing transmission rates of COVID-19 in our community and vaccinations are now available for individuals ages 5 and older. "While I believe our GCPS mask requirement has helped us and our community to mitigate the spread of COVID, conditions have changed and we are at a point where we can and should revisit mask guidance."

Masks will still be required on all school buses, said district officials.

The community transmission updates will be reported by the Georgia Department of Public Health.