Multiple School Districts Implement Mask Requirements As Temporary Injunction Against Senate Bill 658 Takes Effect

Oklahoma school districts can decide for themselves if they need a mask requirement for students, for now. A temporary halt on the state law against masks in schools takes effect Wednesday. 

The Putnam City school board approved a new mask mandate for students Tuesday night. 

New requirements also begin today for Edmond, Yukon, and Mid-Del schools. 

At Putnam City, the district said in just the last week more than 170 students tested positive for COVID-19, along with 23 staff members. 

“It’s just going to help us keep children in the classroom, and that’s where parents want their kids. They want them in school,” said Kathleen Kennedy, a district spokesperson. 

All of these school districts have given the students the ability to opt out of the mask requirements for medical, religious, or personal reasons. 

That stipulation is part of the temporary injunction, which will remain in effect until it's evaluated by the new judge who just took over the case. 

According to a Stateimpact Oklahoma Database, more than 10 percent of public schools across the state have closed or gone to distance learning due to the virus.