FREDERICK, Md. — Starting Friday, Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) students are no longer required to wear masks in classrooms after the district voted to remove the mandate.
The move comes after the Maryland State Board of Education voted Tuesday to allow local districts to decide on mandates.
FCPS, however, exercised one of the board's current off-ramp options to remove mandates -- at least 80% of the county's eligible population has been vaccinated.
Districts can also vote to remove mask mandates if 80% of a county's total population is vaccinated, if 80% of students and staff are vaccinated, or if the county has seen low to moderate COVID-19 transmission in the last two weeks.
If Maryland's General Assembly ratifies the state board's decision, districts will be able to remove mandates regardless of county vaccination status.
Students like fourth-grader Ryleigh Williamson welcomed the change.
“She started crying," Ryleigh's mom, Kat Williamson said. "And she's like, Mom, do you know this is the first time since I've been in first grade because she's in fourth grade. This is her first time since she's been in first grade, that she's going to be able to go to school and feel normal."
Both Kat's fourth-grader, Ryleigh, and her eleventh-grader, Aubri, are planning to ditch the masks Friday morning.
Robyn Mejia's 10-year-old son, however, is hesitant to lose the masks.
He has been watching his dad struggle with long COVID-19 complications after catching the virus in the summer of 2020.
“His group of friends decided they were going to wear theirs for the next while, see what happens," Mejia said. "He said, I don't know what other people are doing at home, so I just want to see what's going to happen in the next month or so.”
Mejia said her grandmother also passed away from COVID-19 this past weekend, so her family is especially cautious when it comes to the virus.
She teaches at Loudoun County Public Schools and has decided to keep wearing her mask even though the district also removed the mandate last week.
“It has been more than a long time coming," Kat Williamson said. "You know, everybody seems to be chasing the science. And it seems like we just have never caught the science.”
Both moms said regardless, they're teaching their kids not to judge their peers for their choices.
“We can't stay stuck forever. We have to go forward," Mejia said. "I think a lot of it is about making sure that everyone at school knows that they're respected."
Masking is still required on buses right now, per federal law, but the CDC is expected to ease masking guidelines Friday.
Thursday night, Howard County Public Schools, also voted to remove its mask mandate starting March 1.
Both Frederick and Howard schools are on a two-hour delay Friday due to inclement weather.