By: Dwayne Page
The mask mandate in the DeKalb County School District has been lifted.
By a vote of 6 to 1, the Board of Education Thursday night voted to lift the mask mandate immediately. Third district school board member Jim Beshearse made the motion and sixth district member Jason Miller offered a second to the motion.
In addition to Beshearse and Miller, Chairman Danny Parkerson of the first district, Alan Hayes of the second district, Jamie Cripps of the fifth district, and Shaun Tubbs of the seventh district voted for lifting the mask mandate. Fourth district member Kate Miller vote no saying “ the CDC and the Tennessee Department of Health still make the recommendation that the administration require masks in schools. I know we still have COVID in our community so my vote is no”.
Although the mandate has been lifted, any teacher, bus driver, student or others in the school system who still want to wear a mask may do so and Chairman Parkerson asked that their wishes be respected.
The mask mandate has been in effect since the start of the school year last August.