Given the current status of the pandemic in Hillsborough County, we respectfully request a mask mandate for all students, teachers and faculty in Hillsborough County Public Schools. 

We all have the same goal: for our children to be physically present in the classroom where they can best learn from their teachers and be with other students. This is also the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which advocates that “all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school.” The Center for Disease Control (CDC) also recommends universal masking in schools.

We recognize the significant challenges to the District in achieving this goal. Space limitations, transportation logistics, budget constraints and other considerations make many of the suggested risk mitigation strategies cumbersome, costly and often impossible, but even the most arduous challenges can be mitigated by imposing a mask mandate for schools countywide. 

Such a mandate is not only practical, but it is also feasible. The State has already budgeted for, and is supplying, multiple reusable masks for faculty and students. The City and County also have masks to give to those in need. Extending this measure to school-attending children is a matter of common sense and should be consistent with behavior that is already becoming increasingly routine. 

When social distancing is not possible, masks offer a crucial means to helping curtail the spread of COVID-19.  But make no mistake, the mask does not protect the wearer.  Rather it protects those surrounding them, making a comprehensive mask mandate necessary to keep all students, teachers and staff safe. This premise is widely accepted by the medical and scientific communities. It is the recommendation of the CDC, and Florida Surgeon General. 

Lastly, we urge the adoption of a mask-wearing mandate because it makes financial sense. Simply put, it is far less costly to distribute masks than it is to risk the inevitable forced closures that will happen without mask mandates in place as COVID-19 cases spike. 

Let’s vow to do our best to protect the health of our community, prevent disruptions to our children’s education, and support our working families who need safe and reliable in-school care! Let’s all wear masks!