The sound of kids on a playground may no longer be muffled by masks at Chula Vista Elementary schools.
Chula Vista Elementary School District is one of the largest in the county. The Board of Education approved adjustments to the district’s mask policy.
The district's adjusted mask policy is as follows:
- Staff members can remove their mask if alone in a classroom or office.
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- Teachers giving instruction virtually, can go without a mask if there are only two instructors in the room. The district says those classrooms will get an additional air filter.
- Kids can take their mask off during outdoor recess or physical education.
Some students and parents say it’s a much-needed relief.
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“I feel happy because when we need to wear a mask outside, I can’t breathe,” student Delaney Lee Pereda said.
“I’m all for it. I think it’s time everybody takes it off,” parent Angel Ávila said.
“Kids get frustrated. If us as adults get tired of wearing it all day, you can just imagine a kid who, their patience is less than an adult and their understanding is less than an adult,” parent Ashley Contreras said.
As of Friday, the district recorded 44 positive cases among students and staff for the prior week.
The number of cases are still concerning for grandparents Richard and Darlene Gomez.
“They’re gonna touch other kids or somebody’s gonna sneeze at one time,” Darlene Gomez said. “You just don’t know. The germs are still out there too, especially when they’re so close, playing in a small place. So, I still think masks all around completely.”
Like we’ve seen throughout the pandemic, these rules could likely change depending on the outbreak.
