Face masks will be optional for the fall semester in the St. Johns County School District.The district has posted its health and safety protocols for the next semester, which starts Monday, August 16.
Temperature checks will no longer be required when students, staff or visitors arrive at their schools.
Desk shields could also be on the way out. The district said the shields will no longer be a mandatory feature of all classrooms, but instead, “will be used as appropriate when needed for health and safety protection or instructional/assessment purposes.”
Some social distancing will remain in place – although not at the CDC-recommended 6-foot distance. The district says “to the extent possible” seating and desks should be kept 3 feet apart. “The objective is to minimize the amount of students that would be considered close contacts in a classroom,” the district wrote.
Sporting events will be capped at 75% capacity in the district this fall, although the district also wrote, the “superintendent has the ability to go up to 100% when circumstances allow.”
Additional information about the St. Johns County School District's health and safety protocols is on the district’s website.
Bill Bortzfield can be reached at bbortzfield@wjct.org or on Twitter at @BortzInJax.
