Atlanta schools to require masks for all students, staff

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta Public Schools says it will implement a “universal mask wearing” policy in all of its school buildings when the new school year starts Aug. 5.

The district announced the rules on Thursday, citing dangers of the Delta variant and guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In a statement, the school system says that just 18% of its eligible students are fully vaccinated and 58% of its employees have said they are either fully vaccinated or plan to be.

The school system noted that the pediatrics academy recommends that all students and staff wear masks – regardless of whether they’ve been vaccinated.