BALTIMORE, MD—Following a special meeting featuring public comment from stakeholders, community members and health experts on Maryland’s emergency school mask requirement, the Maryland State Board of Education will host a special virtual meeting on Wednesday, December 1 at 1:00 p.m. via WebEx.

At the meeting, the State Board of Education will review public testimony, input and written comments as well as current public health metrics, and determine next steps regarding the school mask regulation.

The full agenda and livestream can be accessed online here.

To support the return to in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year, the State Board passed a proposed emergency regulation to require masks inside all public schools. The emergency regulation was approved on September 14, 2021.  The emergency regulation will expire February 25, 2022.

The State Board of Education hosted a virtual public forum on Tuesday, November 16 that collected public input regarding masking in schools. With an extended public comment period, the virtual event offered parents, students, and educators across the state an opportunity to share multiple perspectives, experiences, and thoughts on masking in schools.

The meeting featured several panels that included parents and students, key education stakeholders, and national public health experts on the topic. Additionally, the Maryland Department of Health and Maryland State Department of Education provided an update on COVID-19 matters, including school metrics.

The livestream recording from that meeting is available online here.

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels