ATL Standard

The Atlanta Public Schools leadership is hoping to relax the mask requirement rules when school starts after winter break, the website Decatursh.com reported.

However, the potential policy shift received swift backlash. 

"DANGEROUS IDEA!!!," Hanna Hurley, a child advocate, educator and disability consultant tweeted Dec. 7. "What is ⁦@apsupdate⁩ THINKING? They’re NOT!!!! Masks are necessary. Keep up with the data! #ProtectKidsAndStaff.’’

Under the proposed Atlanta Public School guidelines, masks would be optional starting Feb. 1 if community transmission is within a newly established threshold, WXIA reported.

Fulton and DeKalb counties would have to have moderate or low levels of COVID-19 transmission for two weeks to trigger the relaxed rules, the story said. The school districts have until next year to start the new standards in case there is any extra COVID-19 transmission over the holidays, the station said.

Under federal recommendations, students would still have to wear masks on school buses, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

The new rules would be dictated according to weekly case transmission levels compiled by the Georgia Department of Public Health, the story said.

The district would notify families on Jan. 28 if case levels have dropped low enough to lift the mask requirements, the newspaper reported.

Case levels in Fulton County are currently rated "substantial" and in DeKalb "moderate" the story said. The system has schools in both counties.