The Seattle Public Schools system is encouraging masking to continue but says it will lift its requirements on the first school day following the end of the state’s mandate.

Until March 14, current masking protocols will remain in place. Masks will continue to be required for all students, staff, and visitors on all SPS campuses and school buses through March 13. We are pleased that COVID-19 cases continue to fall in SPS schools and King County. However, there may be times when we will need to bring back effective mitigations if there is an increase in community, classroom, or school-wide transmission. SPS will continue to monitor COVID-19 rates in our schools

Saturday brings the end of Washington’s COVID-19 indoor masking requirements ending a period of around 600 days of mandatory indoor masking in the state. Washington didn’t put statewide mask requirements into place until late June 2020. New federal guidance calls only for indoor mask usage in areas with high COVID-19 activity.

Public Health says the county is classified at a “low COVID-19 community level” under current metrics.

CHS reported here on SPS’s announcement that it was working on its own date for lifting mask requirements as it nailed down an agreement with the teachers union. “Future decisions on mask use within the district will be made in partnership with public health, and its implementation will be established after consultation and mutually agreed upon guidelines that are reached through bargaining with our labor partners,” the district said at the time.

It turns out, the decision was nailed down quickly and Seattle school kids will be able to choose whether to mask starting Monday.

In its announcement, SPS urged patience from families and understanding for individual choices as the pandemic continues.

“Some families may have vulnerable household members or have younger siblings who are not yet eligible for vaccination. We will continue to foster a climate of empathy and equity,” the announcement reads. “Our students and school community have been through a challenging – and in some ways traumatic – two years, yet our outlook is hopeful. We are grateful that brighter and healthier days are ahead of us.”

Masking for everybody, meanwhile, will still be required in spaces like health care facilities and on public transit and school buses. Some private businesses may also choose to continue with masking requirements.

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