Cobb Reporter

Cobb County and Marietta City schools say they will not require students or staff to wear masks when they return to classrooms this fall.

The school year begins on Aug. 2 for Cobb County and Aug. 3 for Marietta City. 

The Cobb County School District said in its health plan that face coverings, including masks, will be optional for students and staff in school buildings, on school buses and at extracurricular activities as they start fall learning. 

Marietta City Schools superintendent Grant Rivera said in a letter that face coverings and masks are not required for students and staff in school buildings, on school buses and at extracurricular activities, but staff and students who prefer to wear face coverings are welcome to do so and face coverings are encouraged for students and staff who are not fully vaccinated. 

The school system said their approach is based on several factors, including the Marietta City Schools summer learning program held in June and July, the letter said. 

Marietta City Schools said more than 1,100 students attended in-person learning in grades K-12 during the program where masks were optional and, despite four total cases among students and staff, there was no transmission to other program participants, the letter said. 

Additionally, Marietta City Schools said that the district also invested in ionization units for every school bus that consistently circulates and filters the air, and the bus windows will be open. 

Rivera said that the data shows little transmission among staff and students of COVID-19, which is why they will not require masks. 

"As we consider each family’s ability to determine what is best for their child in terms of personal comfort and learning dynamics, our goal is to strike the right balance between safety, science, teaching and learning," Rivera said in the Marietta City schools letter.