As state mask rules end, school leaders are in the middle

By CAROLYN THOMPSON
Associated Press

Responsibility for school mask mandates is shifting back to local leaders, who are caught in the middle of one of the most divisive issues of the pandemic. Some school officials around the country welcomed the state-imposed mandates to spare them from having to make unpopular decisions, especially early in the pandemic. But many superintendents say they now have the tools to decide whether masks should be required. The governors of Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey and Oregon this week announced plans to lift mandates in schools by the end of February or March.