Rutherford County has extended its school mask mandate, though teachers can now opt out

Rutherford County Schools has extended its mask mandate for at least another three weeks. The board voted narrowly to continue the requirement at Thursday night’s board meeting, where several parents spoke in favor, noting the steep drop in cases.

School officials say quarantines for staff and students are about as low as they’ve been all year — with just 16 teachers out across the district on Thursday.

There was not much debate over the extension, though several school board members voiced objections. The policy states that the mandate will last until there are three consecutive weeks with a positivity rate below 10% in Rutherford County. Right now, the positivity rate has improved to 10.3% and is expected to keep falling.

The school board did vote to give teachers and staff the ability to opt out of the mask mandate, which was a new addition to the policy. Right now, roughly 13% of students in Rutherford County have been approved not to wear a mask.