Metro Schools will stop requiring masks after spring break

The Metro Board of Education voted to approve the recommendation from superintendent Adrienne Battle to make masks optional after March 11 — which is the last day before Spring Break.

The debate became so heated that security cleared the board room at one point Tuesday night.

The only board member to vote against the new policy wasn’t opposed to dropping the requirement. Fran Bush, who has often been the lone voice on the board pushing against masks, just wanted optional masking to begin right away. Bush noted she had also pushed the district to return to in-person learning earlier in the pandemic.

Metro Schools has been one of the few districts in the state to require masks since students returned to school buildings. The move to relax rules follows districts across the country — from Kentucky to California — that are ending mask mandates.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to update masking guidance in the coming days.