Most Coast schools won’t require masks. As COVID surges, this district changed course.
Pascagoula-Gautier will require all students, staff, and visitors to wear masks on campus and buses when school starts next week.
Superintendent Wayne Rodolfich announced the policy in a video message on the district’s Facebook page on Thursday. He said the decision was made out of “an abundance of caution” as COVID-19 cases rise across Mississippi, with one-day new case figures reaching or surpassing levels seen during the summer surge just before school started a year ago.
“Mississippi had 1,342 new COVID cases on July 28, 2020,” he said. “Yesterday, one year later, the number of COVID cases reached 1,875. This is an increase of over 500 cases. Safety is our top priority.”
Rodolfich said the policy would be re-evaluated at the district’s Sept. 13 school board meeting.
The district becomes the first on the Coast to switch course from recommending masks to requiring them for everyone on campus.
Pascagoula-Gautier’s new policy is in line with CDC guidance earlier this week that everyone, vaccinated or not, should wear a mask in school settings. It also aligns with Mississippi State Health Department guidance that everyone in Mississippi should wear masks indoors.
So far, other districts on the Coast have said masks will be optional unless mandated by Gov. Tate Reeves, who has said repeatedly that he has no plans to reinstate last year’s mask mandate for schools. Pass Christian and Biloxi are both recommending masks but not requiring them.
