Lifting Mask Mandates in Public Schools Gets Final Approval by Legislative Committee

Starting next Tuesday, Maryland public schools can shift to a mask optional policy, after state lawmakers on Friday approved the state Board of Education’s decision to rescind the emergency statewide mask mandate. Decisions on face masking requirements will now be up to local school systems. The approval by the General Assembly’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review comes after the State Board of Education voted 12-2 earlier this week to lift the emergency regulation mandating the use of face masks in school buildings.