Mask Mandate Unlikely In Classrooms This Fall, Minnesota Ed. Commissioner Says
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota's education commissioner said that there aren't currently plans to instill a mask mandate for students when they return to the classrooms this fall.
Dr. Heather Mueller spoke on the topic at a press conference alongside Gov. Tim Walz.
Mueller said that the CDC does "recommend that students in elementary schools continue to wear masks," but added "that is not something that can be dictated or guided or mandated by the Department of Education."
That would not necessarily be the case, however, with school buses or any forms of transportation overseen by the federal government, Mueller added.
As of now, children 12 and under are not eligible to receive any COVID-19 vaccines currently in distribution.
Last month, the University of Minnesota announced it would not require COVID-19 vaccinations for students in the 2021-2022 school year. Students, staff, and faculty will not be required to show proof of vaccination to live, learn, or work on campus or other university properties.
Earlier in the year, WCCO asked Dr. George Morris of CentraCare about what vaccinated parents of children under 12 should do with regard to masking without mandates.
"As a parent, and you're helping out with young children, if you don't wear a mask, what's their behavior going to look like? With kids, I think they're so impressionable. And we really have to model that behavior that I foresee a lot of families with young children at home, they're not going to wear masks, because that's their home environment," he said. "But if they go out for an exposure, or at a school, they would likely all do it, just so that the parents are demonstrating their kids the value in maintaining that type of behavior."
