Students leave Mars Area Middle School Thursday.

Amid a rise in concern about the delta variant of COVID-19, all public school districts in Butler County have made the wearing of masks and face coverings optional for students starting school this week.

Many districts have stipulated that their plans are flexible if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or other authority requires masks at a stricter level, or if the state or national government implements a mask mandate.

Of the nine public school districts in Butler County, three — Butler Area, Allegheny-Clarion Valley and Seneca Valley — have made recommendations that students, staff and teachers wear masks, but are not officially requiring them at the moment.

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