MEMO: Transportation Mask Guidance

Superintendents and Public Information Officers,

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced Friday that effective immediately, masks are no longer required on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs.

As you know, on January 29, 2021, the CDC issued an Order that required face masks to be worn on public transportation, including public and private school buses or vans. Effective February 25, 2022, the CDC updated its previous guidance, stating that it is “exercising its enforcement discretion to not require that people wear masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs.” The CDC announced that it is providing this update “to align with updated guidance that no longer recommends universal indoor mask-wearing in k-12 schools and early education settings in areas with low or medium COVID-19 Community Level.”

The CDC’s updated guidance provides that local school boards continue to have the discretion to require students to wear masks on school buses or vans. The StrongSchoolsNC Public Health Toolkit (the “Toolkit”) currently recommends, per the CDC’s previous January 29, 2021 Order, to “require passengers and staff to wear a mask on buses, vans, and other group school transportation.” The Toolkit was last updated on February 10, 2022, and went into effect Monday, February 21, 2022. As the CDC made significant updates to its guidance regarding COVID 19 (including transportation) on Friday, February 25th, DPI anticipates that NC DHHS will review the CDC’s updated guidance and use that guidance to inform future updates to the Toolkit.

Please contact Dr. Robert P. Taylor, at robert.taylor@dpi.nc.gov, or have your transportation directors contact Kevin Harrison at kevin.harrison@dpi.nc.gov if you have any questions.