The Hamilton County school board voted 5-3 on Thursday evening to continue requiring masks for students and teachers through the end of the school year.
Board member Rhonda Thurman brought the issue to a vote, saying she wanted to know the board members’ thoughts and needed clarification on the requirements across grade levels.
The vote followed a three hour-long meeting attended by parent groups that both supported and disagreed with ending the mask requirement. The vote affected a limited timeframe as the district has already decided to make masks optional starting June 1.
Steve Highlander, Joe Smith and Thurman voted in favor of ending the mask requirement, while board members Jenny Hill, Tucker McClendon, Marco Perez, Tiffanie Robinson and Joe Wingate voted against ending the requirement early.
The school year ends May 27.