The Hillsborough County superintendent of schools announced students and staff returning to public schools on Aug. 10th will be required to wear face masks.
Superintendent Addison Davis said the decision comes after consulting with medical professionals from the University of South Florida and Tampa General Hospital, teachers, school administrators, business leaders and local Department of Health officials.
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"The CDC has identified face coverings as one of the most effective tools in stopping the spread of COVID-19, along with social distancing, hand washing and disinfecting frequently touched surfaces."
Each student, teacher and staff member will be given three reusable face masks.
The district already has more than 760,000 masks through purchases and donations from the Hillsborough County Emergency Operations Center, Humana and Avid.
“The coronavirus in our community has shown no signs of decreasing over the past three weeks,” Davis said.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments as circumstances change. We have to do everything we can to keep our students, our staff and our families safe and healthy.”
Officials from Hillsborough County Schools also announced Monday that they're extending the deadline for parents to respond to a survey regarding what kind of schooling they want their children to return to in the fall.
The deadline was pushed back a week to July 17. Hillsborough plans to hold a virtual town hall before then to give parents the chance to talk with and hear from Davis.
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