Governor Orders Masks To Be Worn In All Schools And District Buildings

Press release from South Washington County Schools:

July 22, 2020

Dear South Washington County Schools Families,

"Today, July 22, 2020 Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed an executive order requiring Minnesotans to wear a face covering in all public indoor spaces and indoor businesses beginning Saturday, July 25, 2020 to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo) is working through the guidance and will provide the latest updates at sowashco.org/fall2020.

Face coverings will be required for all students (in grades K-12), all staff and anyone present in a SoWashCo building. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is also requiring all kindergarteners, even those under the age of five, to wear a face covering.

• Types of allowable face coverings include:
• Cloth face mask
• Paper or disposable mask
• Scarf
• Bandanna
• Religious face covering

The covering should cover the nose and mouth completely, should not be overly tight or restrictive and should feel comfortable to wear. A face mask is not a substitute for social distancing, but it is especially important in situations when maintaining a six-foot distance is not possible.

Quicklinks:

• Face covering frequently asked questions
• Face covering requirements
• COVID-19 sports guidance
• Masking requirements for child care

Face coverings may be temporarily removed by students, staff and other people present in the school building or district offices in the following situations:

• Indoor physical activity where the level of activity (exertion) makes wearing a face covering difficult as long as social distancing is being followed.
• Pre-kindergarten students age five-years and younger participating in programming in a school building or district office. See masking requirements for child care provided by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH).
• Face coverings may be temporarily removed to eat or drink, but care should be taken to maintain as much space as possible between people.
• When communicating with a person who is deaf or hard of hearing or has a disability, medical condition or mental health condition that makes communication with a face covering difficult, provided social distancing is maintained.

The full executive order is available on Governor Walz’s executive orders webpage. For more information and guidance on COVID-19 visit the Minnesota Department of Health’s website.

Please look for additional guidance as our fall planning teams continue to work through the logistics for fall 2020."

Thank you for supporting South Washington County Schools.

This press release was produced by South Washington County Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.