ATLANTA — Gov. Brian Kemp on Monday ruled out ordering public school systems to impose mask mandates for returning students and teachers, echoing his opposition to statewide requirements to wear face coverings to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Kemp, speaking at the opening of a testing site at Hartsfield-Jackson airport, said he was confident that local superintendents can make their own decisions about whether masks are necessary in their districts as he continued to encourage but not require their use.
“We’ve given the responsibility to the schools, to the local superintendents,” Kemp said. “Like most things in education, I’m a firm believer that the local governments know their schools better than the state government does.”
His remarks came days after a photo of North Paulding High School students jammed into a hallway in between classes went viral. The school later revealed a half-dozen students and three staffers were diagnosed with COVID-19 and that courses will be held online for at least a few days this week.
The governor was seconded by U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams, who joined Kemp to highlight Georgia’s new testing initiative.