LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Beginning on Thursday, March 10, masks will no longer be required to be worn in the largest school district in Kentucky. 

What You Need To Know

  • Beginning on Thursday, March 10,  masks will no longer be required to be worn in JCPS schools, facilities or on school buses.

  • Masks will be optional and will still be available to anyone who requests one

  • JCPS is continuing its testing program for students and staff in JCPS buildings and in the community testing centers for students, staff and their families

  • The guidance from the CDC and KDPH states that when the county is considered to have a low or medium community level of COVID-19, universal masking does not need to be implemented in school settings

“I want to say once again that I follow the guidance the locally elected board gives me, they are the 7 people that hire me and supervise me as an employee,” superintendent Dr. Mary Polio said. “Last night it was pretty clear on that guidance.” 

Masks will be optional and will still be available to anyone who requests one. Jefferson County Public Schools is continuing its testing program for students and staff in JCPS buildings and in the community testing centers for students, staff and their families at more than 50 JCPS sites.

“It's hard for me to say how long it's going to last, I was charged last night with following the guidelines for the Kentucky Department for Public Health with yellow and red, so that's what I’m doing to do is follow that guidance so lets hope this is permanent,” Polio said.

They have also begun holding vaccination clinics at every school. For the date and time vaccines will be available at each school, click here. 

On Tuesday night, the Jefferson County Board of Education voted to give Pollio the authority to follow guidance from the Kentucky Department for Public Health in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for mask wearing in public schools.

This guidance states that when the county is considered by the KDPH to have a “low” (green) or “medium” (yellow) community level of COVID-19, school districts do not need to implement indoor universal masking in school settings, district facilities, or on school buses.

Polio added if the county moves back into the “high” category, masks will once again be reinstated.

Currently, Jefferson County is labeled as medium by the Kentucky Department for Public Health. You can see the county-by-county map of the community level at this link. The map is updated weekly. 

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