Baker County students headed back to school Monday morning with no mask requirement in place.
The Baker County School District does have a list of health and safety guidelines for reopening, which includes things like screening students and disinfecting surfaces, but masks are optional.
The plan acknowledges that social distancing won’t be possible in some areas, so schools will try to only allow smaller groups of students in shared spaces.
“I believe that face to face instruction with our quality teachers and staff is the best education that we can provide for our precious children,” Superintendent Sherrie Raulerson wrote in a message to the district.
A virtual option is available for students who don’t feel safe going back to school.
Baker County has seen a surge in coronavirus cases with totals more than doubling over the past week.
Much of that is from a prison outbreak, according to WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union.
Brendan Rivers can be reached at brivers@wjct.org, 904-358-6396 or on Twitter at @BrendanRivers.
