Hours after barring maskless students from campuses, California reverses ban

July 13, 2021

California health officials on Monday issued a statewide policy for the upcoming academic year that would have barred students from school campuses if they refused to wear masks, only to backtrack on the ban hours later.

The California Department of Public Health published its guidancefor K-12 schools Monday afternoon, mandating that students wear face coverings indoors and stating that “schools must exclude students from campus” if they did not comply, directing them to offer such students “alternative educational opportunities.”