News Release

November 16, 2020

NEBRASKA BOARD OF EDUCATION RECOMMENDS MASK MANDATE, ISSUES THREE RESOLUTIONS

The State Board of Education is recommending a statewide mask mandate to ensure the safety of all students, staff, and community members.  The recommendation comes in the form of a board resolution.

The resolution asks Nebraska communities to do their part to keep students and staff safe and to keep schools open through actions like wearing face coverings in public, staying home when possible, and avoiding the three Cs: crowded places, close contact, and confined spaces.

At the time of the resolution, more than 90,000 Nebraskans had contracted COVID-19 and more than 750 had lost their lives. Schools have largely been successful in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 within their buildings but the greatest threat to keeping schools open is community spread and the decreasing hospital capacity across the state.

The board also issued a resolution praising local health departments and health professionals who have worked tirelessly since the pandemic began.

November is also Native American Heritage Month and the board issued a third resolution honoring Native American culture and encouraging all Nebraska schools to include the contributions of Native Americans in their curriculum.

All three resolutions are available online and can be found at the following links:

Resolution on Community Responsibility in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Resolution to Recognize Native American Heritage Month in Nebraska

Resolution to Recognize Nebraska’s Local Health Departments

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