More Ohio schools impose mask mandates, fewer new cases reported
Another 14 Ohio public school districts switched to universal mask mandates in the classroom in the past week, according to state data.
Meanwhile, six districts made masks optional for all. One of those was Lebanon City Schools in Warren County, which is participating in a pilot program to determine whether unmasked close contacts can remain in school and use masking and testing to prevent further infection.
Of Ohio's 609 districts, 250 require masks for all students, 42 require them for some students (typically elementary students) and 317 don't require them at all, as of Thursday. About 56% of public school students are in a district with a universal mask mandate, up from 45% three weeks ago.
Gov. Mike Dewine has declined to impose a statewide mask mandate for schools, citing a state law that would allow lawmakers to immediately repeal it. Yet he's urged school leaders to require face coverings as the delta variant spreads through Ohio.
Local school boards' decision to require masks has sparked debate and protest in communities around the state. On Monday, parents in Stark County protested Lake Local Schools' temporary mask mandate by cheering students who entered the school without masks.
In Ohio schools, 6,214 students and 1,024 staff members were newly diagnosed during the week ending Sept. 19. That's less than 7,896 students and 1,191 staff members diagnosed the previous week.
Jackie Borchardt is the bureau chief for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.