Students and staff will not be required to wear masks in Mars Area School District schools this fall.

Mars Area School District school board members approved an updated Health and Safety Plan at a meeting Tuesday night, with a vote of seven yes and two absent. The removal of mask mandates for students and staff was one of several changes implemented by the new plan.

School Board president John Kennedy said that the approval was “a step closer to this coming fall.”

State law requires school districts to submit their Health and Safety Plan before July 30 to be eligible for American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ARP ESSER) funding. The plan, which is available online, will now be submitted as approved.

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