Face coverings
All students, staff, and other people present in school buildings and district offices or riding on school transportation vehicles are required to wear a face covering.
Types of allowable face coverings include (According to the Minnesota Department of Health 8/12/2020) :
- Paper or disposable mask
- Cloth face mask
- Scarf
- Neck gaiter
- Bandanna
- Religious face covering
The covering should cover the nose and mouth completely, should not be overly tight or restrictive, and should feel comfortable to wear. A face covering is not meant to substitute for social distancing, but is especially important in situations when maintaining at least a 6-foot distance from other individuals is challenging.
Note: Any mask that incorporates a valve that is designed to facilitate easy exhaling, mesh masks, or masks with openings, holes, visible gaps in the design or material, or vents are not sufficient face coverings because they allow droplets to be released from the mask.
Face Shields
It is not known whether face shields (a clear plastic barrier that covers the face) provide the same source control for droplets as face masks, but they may be an option in situations where wearing a face mask is problematic.
A face shield (a clear plastic barrier that covers the face) allows visibility of facial expressions and lip movements for speech perception and may be used as an alternative to a face covering in the following situations:
- Among students in Kindergarten through grade 8, when wearing a face covering is problematic.
- By teachers (all grades), when wearing a face covering may impede the educational process.
- For staff, students, or visitors who cannot tolerate a face covering due to a developmental, medical, or behavioral health condition.
- For staff providing direct support student services, when a face covering impedes the service being provided.
For optimal protection, the face shield should extend below the chin anteriorly, to the ears laterally, and there should be no exposed gap between the forehead and the shield’s headpiece.
People Exempted From the Face Covering Requirement - may be required to supply medical documentation
- Children under age 2 years must not wear face coverings. Children between the ages of 2 and 5 years old are not required to wear face coverings, but are encouraged to wear a face covering when in public if they can do so reliably in compliance with CDC guidance on How to Wear Cloth Face Coverings (i.e., without frequently touching or removing the face covering).
- People who have medical or other health conditions, disabilities or mental health, developmental, or behavioral needs that make it difficult to tolerate wearing a face covering.
- Any person who has trouble breathing, is unconscious, sleeping, incapacitated, or is otherwise unable to remove the face covering without assistance.
- People at their workplace when wearing a face covering would create a safety hazard to the person or others as determined by local, state, or federal regulators or workplace safety guidelines.
- Alternatives to masks such as clear face shields may be considered for those with health conditions or situations where wearing a mask is problematic. Face shields may also be used as an alternative to face coverings when specifically permitted in the applicable Industry Guidance available at Stay Safe Minnesota.
Staff, students, and other people present in the school building or in district offices may temporarily remove their face covering or face shield in the following situations:
- Face coverings may be temporarily removed when engaging in indoor physical activity (e.g., during recess, after school sports, or when exercising in a gym) where the level of exertion makes wearing a face covering difficult, and during classes or activities held outdoors. People participating in these activities should maintain 6 feet of distance while doing so to the extent feasible.
- Pre-kindergarten students age 5 years and younger participating in programming in a school building or district office. Pre-kindergarten programs are subject to the Executive Order requirements and related guidance applicable in child care settings; see Masking Requirements for Child Care (www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/schools/masks.html).
- Pre-kindergarten children who are at least 2 years old may wear face coverings if they can do so in compliance with CDC guidance on How to Wear Cloth Face Covering (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wear-cloth-face-coverings.html) (e.g., without frequently touching or removing the covering).
- Face coverings may be temporarily removed to eat or drink, but care should be taken to maintain as much space as possible between people, recognizing it is not always feasible to maintain 6 feet of distance from others.
- During indoor practices or performances involving singing, acting, public speaking, or playing musical instruments where a face covering cannot be used while playing the instrument. Performers should maintain 6 feet or greater of physical distance from others while participating in the activity to the extent possible, and should replace their face covering as soon as the activity is completed.
- People who are entering the school building during the day may be required by school staff to briefly remove their face covering for the purposes of checking identification.
- Staff working alone in their offices, classrooms, vehicles, or other job locations who do not have any person-to-person interaction.
- Staff working in communal spaces (e.g., at desks or in cubicles) that have barriers such as plexiglass or cubicle walls between employees that are above face level.
- When communicating with a person who is deaf or hard of hearing or has a disability, medical condition, or mental health condition that makes communication with a face covering difficult, provided that social distancing is maintained to the extent possible.
Teach and reinforce the use of face coverings and/or face shields for students and staff throughout the school day, including on transportation vehicles, inside school buildings, and generally when on school grounds.
Share resources about face coverings and face shields staff, students, and families:
Executive Order 20-81 (see Executive Orders from Governor Walz:
mn.gov/governor/news/executiveorders.jsp)
MDH - How to Safely Wear Your Mask
MDH - Videos/PSAs on COVID-19 Safety including proper mask usage
CDC - How to Wear a Cloth Face Covering (multiple resources)
Best Practices for Masks: Considerations for People with Disabilities and Special Health Needs
MDH - Face Covering Guidance/Requirements including those exempt from wearing
Masks and face coverings
(www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/prevention.html#masks)
Face Covering Requirements and Recommendations under Executive Order 20-81
(www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/facecover.html)
Frequently Asked Questions About the Requirement to Wear Face Coverings
(www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/facecoverfaq.html)
How to Safely Wear and Take Off a Face Covering (PDF) (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-
ncov/downloads/cloth-face-covering.pdf)
Use of Face Coverings to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19 (www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html)
Best Practice for Masks: Considerations for People with Disabilities and Special Health Needs (PDF) (www.health.state.mn.us/diseases/coronavirus/guidemasks.pdf)
Moving Personal Protective Equipment into the Community: Face Shields and Containment of COVID-19 (jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2765525)
COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment: Doffing Step by Step (PDF)
(www.nebraskamed.com/sites/default/files/documents/covid-19/covid-19-personal-protective-
equipment-doffing-step-by-step.pdf)