CPS parents questioning when mask mandate will be lifted

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

With recent COVID numbers dropping in Boone County, Columbia Public School parents are beginning to ask when the mask mandate will be lifted.

The mask mandate for CPS has been in effect since August. The mandate requires all students and staff to wear a mask indoors and on school buses. Masks are not necessary outdoors.

Some CPS parents say the mandate needs to be lifted, while others say they want the mandate to remain in place.

Amanda Hamlin, a CPS parent, says that her children have disabilities and that the masks make their interactions during school difficult.

She also says that putting a mask in front of somebody's face blocks her son's ability to interpret emotion.

ABC 17 News spoke to another CPS parent who wanted to remain anonymous. She believes the mandate should stay in place. She says the school should follow the current health guidelines. She believes masks in the classroom are a good idea if it helps stop the spread of the virus.

School officials tell ABC 17 News that they are going to continue to follow CDC guidelines.

There is a school board meeting scheduled for Nov. 8.