Karns City Area School District's outgoing board members voted to make masking optional should the state remove its mandate after the court hearing scheduled Wednesday.

Following the school mask mandate enacted by Acting Health Secretary Alison Beam on Aug. 31, a number of parents and schools filed a lawsuit against its legitimacy in the Commonwealth Court. They questioned the mandate, saying it was issued without proper authority.

Shortly thereafter, Gov. Tom Wolf returned jurisdiction over masks to the school districts starting in January.

The state Supreme Court decided to temporarily extend the mandate until a decision is made in the Supreme Court case.

The decision by the Karns City Area school board was unanimous at Thursday's meeting, as the board voted 9-0 to place no district-level masking requirements or recommendations if the state's mandate is removed.

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