Fayette schools make face masks optional

Face masks are now optional for Fayette County school students, staff and visitors inside school buildings. The school system circulated the announcement to parents on Friday. The memo said the change was due to “a significant decrease in our quarantines and positive cases since we implemented the face covering mandate two months ago.” The Oct. 22 weekly report showed 18 positive cases among students and staff. Per federal requirements, face masks must still be worn on school buses, and the county said the use of masks inside buildings is still highly recommended.

The school system’s COVID-19 Task Force will continue to monitor cases weekly, and could reinstate mask requirements in individual schools or countywide if cases spike again. The modified quarantine procedure remains in place, whereby students who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19 can remain in school as long as they wear a face covering for 14 days and do not show any symptoms or test positive themselves. Parents are being reminded not to send sick children to school.

About the Author

Jill Howard Church For the AJC

Fire gutted a DeKalb art studio. Creatives are now picking up the pieces.

A Wednesday blaze at South River Art Studios ravaged one of three warehouses on the property where about 35 artists create and store all their supplies.

$980M Mega Millions winning ticket sold in Newnan

The player matched all six numbers during a Friday evening drawing and won a jackpot worth an estimated $980 million. It has an estimated cash value of $452.2 million.

Churches, King Center hold food drives as SNAP delays linger

As the nation begins to recover from the government shutdown, leaders and advocates in Georgia are trying to fill the gaps left by the pause in federal services.

The Latest

Credit: Natrice Miller

Fire gutted a DeKalb art studio. Creatives are now picking up the pieces.

Churches, King Center hold food drives as SNAP delays linger

$980M Mega Millions winning ticket sold in Newnan

Featured

Credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images

Prosecutor takes helm of Georgia case against Trump. But will he move forward?

A veteran Georgia prosecutor will decide the fate of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' election interference case against Donald Trump and his allies.

With some solar power tax breaks expiring, Georgians rush to catch the sun

Georgia solar installers say they’re seeing a surge of customers trying to install rooftop solar systems before federal tax credits go away at the end of the year.

‘Automatic for the People’: Weaver D’s still bonds Athens as era nears end

After feeding everyone from R.E.M. to Brian Kemp, and coining a phrase that went global, Dexter Weaver is preparing to close his storied Athens soul food restaurant.