LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Masks are back at Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) after the Jefferson County Board of Education voted 6-0 Tuesday in approval that all staff and students must wear a mask this school year, regardless of one’s COVID-19 vaccination status.

“I worry about the younger students because I mean they don’t even have an option right now,” said 4th grade Zachary Taylor Elementary School Teacher Michella James, referring to JCPS students under 12, since there is no approved COVID-19 vaccine for that age group.

James said it’s one of the reasons she agrees with JCPS’ board decision Tuesday that everyone must wear a mask inside a JCPS building, regardless of their vaccination status. 

“I know parents have their individual opinions about what we should do, but this is a public school system. We have to look out for everyone, and I think it’s important, and I know it’s an inconvenience, but I think for the greater good we wear a mask,” James added.

Martha Voll is an academic instructional coach at Zachary Taylor who goes class-to-class to work with teachers and students. She told Spectrum News 1 that Tuesday’s decision by the JCPS board came as no surprise to the teachers she has spoken with. 

“I think most of them are pretty much for it. We kind of saw this coming,” Voll said. “It’s about keeping everybody safe, whether you’ve been vaccinated or not. We don’t want any kind of Delta variant or anything to come back up, and we want our kids in school. We want to be here with the children because this is our number one priority, and if it means wearing a mask, then we are willing to do it.”

Jefferson County Teachers Association (JCTA) is a union with over 6,000 JCPS employees, including teachers. President Brent McKim said there’s a diverse spectrum of opinions on the new mask mandate amongst its members.

“Some are vaccinated and don’t understand why they would need to wear a mask. Others feel very vulnerable or they live with someone vulnerable, and they want everyone to have a mask on to help them protect their folks at home or protect themselves,” McKim explained.

“So from the point of view of a union, we are not exactly united in our opinion on this. We have members all over the place and their point point of view, and so we’ve encouraged our members who feel strongly to communicate with school board members how they feel about how to best move forward,” McKim added.

James isn’t just a JCPS teacher. She is also JCPS parent who is now adding another item on her daughter’s back-to-school supplies list.

“And I had just told, ‘Hey! No mask,’ but I said, ‘You know what? Mask up,’ and so we have been collecting her masks to get ready to prepare for the school year.”

The first day of school for JCPS students is Wednesday, Aug. 11, while teachers go back on Monday that same week.