KPS to require masks in the fall

Students in the Kalamazoo Public Schools will still have to wear masks when they return to the classroom in the fall.

KPS Superintendent Rita Raichoudhuri made the announcement on Friday, stating that the district would re-evaluate the rule in November before the second trimester begins.

The state has already eliminated the mask requirement for people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has announced the rule will be canceled for everyone else July 1 as long as infection rates are low.

Most teachers and staff in KPS have already been vaccinated. Students 12 and older are eligible to be vaccinated, with health researchers exploring moving the age limit even lower sometime this year.

In explaining the ongoing restriction, Raichoudhuri said parents are relying on their COVID safety protocols, which were announced in April at the same time the return to in-person classes was announced.

“There is no way to know who has been vaccinated and who hasn’t. We want everyone to feel safe, and the best way to do that is to continue our mask mandate as a mitigation strategy,” she said in a letter to parents.

You can read more on MLive.