MCCRACKEN CO (WSIL)---McCracken county school district will keep mask requirements even after Kentucky lawmakers voted last week against statewide mask mandates for public schools.
Since going back to school on August 5th, the McCracken County school district has had a mask mandate in place, hoping the masks would curb positive COVID cases.
Since school started, there have been 508 positive COVID cases throughout the district, which is more than double than the entirety of the last school year.
So far this year, 1,100 people have been placed under quarantine as close contacts. The school district has 7000 students.
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Superintendent Steve Carter said the purpose of the masks is to keep students in school.
"Any mitigation strategy that we can put in place, reduces the possibility of spread. And we don't wanna be a conduit that keeps this thing around longer. We're trying to move on, and find a way to keep our students in seats, in our buildings," said Carter.
For McCracken County as a whole--the positivity rate is 14.8%.
Kentucky as a state has a 14% positivity rate.
