The CDC issued guidelines saying schools can reopen at capacity this fall, and vaccinated students and teachers don’t have to wear masks.

CDC guidelines are recommendations for local governments. Ultimately, state and school leaders at the local level will have to build a plan based on regional COVID-19 data.
“I really trust CMS to come up with a system,” elementary school teacher Meredith Fox said. “They’ve really faced a lot of pressure over the last year and [have] been able to do well under that pressure and make decisions based on safety.”

Fox says because she teachers elementary-aged children, she’ll most likely wear a mask in the classroom regardless. CDC’s guidelines say only students who are vaccinated should not wear a mask, and the vaccine is not available for kids who are under 12.