This week, Governor Newsom announced that he will let a statewide indoor mask mandate expire next week for people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, and that local governments can continue their own indoor masking requirements based on local conditions. However, that announcement did not change the rules for us or our schools. 

On Feb. 9, the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department announced that it “will not lift local indoor masking requirements when the State lifts its indoor masking requirement on February 16.  Instead, Santa Clara County will continue to base decisions on whether and when to lift indoor masking requirements on the risks posed by COVID-19, using clearly defined metrics related to vaccination, hospitalizations, and COVID-19 case rates.” 

The statement added that the County anticipates lifting indoor masking requirements in a matter of weeks.

As experts continue to debate whether or not masks should be required and for whom, we will continue to monitor the guidance for schools and follow the advice of our local public health officials. We will send notices to families and staff if the local mandates for our schools change. We will only adjust requirements under the advice of our County Public Health Department.