CLEVELAND — Cleveland Metropolitan School District CEO/superintendent Eric Gordon announced Tuesday the district has extended its mask mandate through the month of October in order to keep children in classrooms while combating COVID-19.
"I am announcing that CMSD will extend our universal mask requirement at least through October. Students who struggled during a year of isolation and remote learning are back where they learn best, in classrooms, and we are going to do everything in our power to keep them there," Gordon said.
Currently, masks are required for all students, staff and visitors regardless of their vaccination status.
Gordon said masking and other measures have proven effective in keeping the virus out of the district's 90 campuses. So far this year, there has only been one case of COVID-19 transmission in the schools.
"Make no mistake, we are seeing a stream of cases that you can track using the dashboard on our website, ClevelandMetroSchools.org. But while the virus is spreading in our community, it is not spreading in our schools," Gordon said.
He continued, "Masks are not the only reason our strategy has been so effective. Social distancing, frequent sanitation, temperature checks, care clinics in each school, our COVID reporting hotline and swift notification of positive cases sent home by our dedicated nurses and principals all play roles."
CLICK HERE to read/watch Gordon's full announcement.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Download the News 5 app for free to easily access local coronavirus coverage, and to receive timely and limited news alerts on major COVID-19 developments. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
See complete coverage on our Coronavirus Continuing Coverage page.
Vaccinating Ohio - Find the latest news on the COVID-19 vaccines, Ohio's phased vaccination process, a map of vaccination clinics around the state, and links to sign up for a vaccination appointment through Ohio's online portal.
See data visualizations showing the impact of coronavirus in Ohio, including county-by-county maps, charts showing the spread of the disease, and more.
Rebound Northeast Ohio News 5's initiative to help people through the financial impact of the coronavirus by offering one place to go for information on everything available to help and how to access it. We're providing resources on:
Getting Back to Work - Learn about the latest job openings, how to file for benefits and succeed in the job market.
Making Ends Meet - Find help on topics from rent to food to new belt-tightening techniques.
Managing the Stress - Feeling isolated or frustrated? Learn ways to connect with people virtually, get counseling or manage your stress.
Doing What's Right - Keep track of the way people are spending your tax dollars and treating your community.
We're Open! Northeast Ohio is place created by News 5 to open us up to new ways of thinking, new ways of gathering and new ways of supporting each other.
View a map of COVID-19 testing locations here.
Visit Ohio's Coronavirus website for the latest updates from the Ohio Department of Health.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
