NEVADA schools will be facing new mask-wearing and COVID-19 testing rules in the coming school year.
The move comes after Governor Steve Sisolak issued an emergency directive on Wednesday, August 4 for county school districts, charter schools and private schools.
Across all counties in the state school staff will be required to wear face coverings while inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status.
K-12 students and school staff must wear face coverings while on school buses, following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order.
In counties with a population of 100,000 or greater, including Clark and Washoe, K-12 students must wear face coverings while inside school buildings, regardless of vaccination status unless granted an exemption.
“As Variants of Concern, including the Delta variant, have become the most predominant strains of the virus and most school-aged children are not yet able to be vaccinated, additional mitigation measures are needed to protect students, staff and school visitors,” a statement from the governor’s office said.
For counties with populations less than 100,000, the schools “shall adopt a face covering policy that addresses whether, or under what circumstances, face coverings will be required for students while in school buildings or on school campuses.”
The policies must not conflict with the governor’s emergency director or any other face covering requirements imposed by county or local health authorities.
“Irrespective of any policy adopted by a county school district, charter school, or private school, if a school-wide outbreak of COVID-19 is identified by the applicable local health authority in any school, a universal face covering policy SHALL be implemented immediately for ALL students in the school building where the outbreak occurred until the local health authority determines that the outbreak is closed,” the directive said.
Weekly regular testing will be required students, staff and volunteers who are not fully vaccination “and who are involved in travelling to other schools or venues outside of the county for athletics and activities.”
In July, the Clark County School District issued its own guidelines for students and staff to wear face masks inside school buildings/facilities and buses unless medical conditions prohibit us.
