Akron Public Schools make masks optional

AKRON, Ohio — Starting Monday, March 14, masks will be optional at Akron Public Schools.

The new policy that was announced on Friday will apply to all students, staff and visitors to its buildings, buses and vans. In a letter to families and staff, Akron Public Schools Superintendent Christine Fowler Mack says the district wants those who remain at high risk for severe illness to consider continuing to wear face coverings indoors and in large gatherings.

The change in Akron follows a similar move made by Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO Eric Gordon last week amid improving COVID-19 numbers across the state and updated mask guidance issued by the CDC.

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"APS will follow the advice of the CDC in lifting our mandatory mask requirement," Fowler Mack wrote in her letter. "We recognize, however, that as long as the threat of infection still exists, students and the most vulnerable among us are advised to continue wearing masks, and all of us should keep them at hand."

You can read Superintendent Christine Fowler Mack's complete letter to Akron Public School families and staff below:

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