Starting the 2022-23 school year, San Diego Unified School District will not require district-wide masking.
School Board Trustee Richard Barrera told KPBS Friday that the district-wide indoor mandate that started with summer school last month has been lifted. A mask requirement could return to individual schools sites if an outbreak of COVID-19 cases is reported.
In a statement Monday, district officials said “In the event that we need to consider district wide masking, we will examine multiple measures that are reflective of school-based transmission, such as number of schools meeting individual site masking metrics, absences, and peer-reviewed studies.”
The statement also said facial coverings won’t be required even if the county re-enters the high tier of the CDC’s COVID-19 community level. As of Aug. 15, San Diego County is in the CDC’s “medium” COVID-19 community level.
Individual schools will be required to reinstate masking requirements if within 14 days, at least three outbreaks have occurred and more than 5% of the school population is infected. Masking would be required for a 14-day period.
Current case numbers and other statistics for San Diego Unified are available on the district’s COVID-19 dashboard.
The new school year begins Aug. 29, 2022.
