Universal masking at Philadelphia public schools following students return after holiday break

Universal masking is back at Philadelphia public schools, and it was on full display walking down the hallways of GW Carver High School of Engineering and Science.

PHILADELPHIA - Universal masking is back at Philadelphia public schools, and it was on full display walking down the hallways of GW Carver High School of Engineering and Science.

The School District of Philadelphia is following universal masking guidelines until January 13. The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) is recommending masking requirements following extended breaks.

"We did hand out a little over 200 masks this morning just to get students back and acclimated again," said Dr. Darryl Johnson, principal of Carver High School of Engineering and Science. "I think we got pretty comfortable without wearing masks, so we had to get comfortable again wearing a mask."

Student Charity Robbins said her 8-year-old sister has epilepsy. She’s relieved the district is following Covid-19 safety protocol.

"It’s very comforting to me because my sister is immunocompromised," said Robbins. "There are a lot of students who are upset about it, and I understand especially if that’s not what they’re used to, what they’re comfortable with, but it’s just a matter of safety."

Meanwhile, some anti-mask graffiti was painted outside of two South Philadelphia elementary schools. A parent took photos of some of the graffiti outside Nebinger Elementary School and shared them with FOX 29. It reads, "No masks. Let the kids breath."

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Anti-mask graffiti outside Nebinger Elementary School in South Philadlephia.

Dr. Kendra McDow is the School System Medical Officer for the district and meets with PDPH regularly. She said the district will continue monitoring disease activity to reduce the chances of spread inside schools.

"If we are seeing concerns for outbreaks in our schools, we are going to make sure that at the school level those mitigation measures are being put into place such as masking," said Dr. McDow. "After holidays, we do see increases in cases of COVID-19. We as the school district saw increases in cases of COVID-19 after Thanksgiving break, which mirrored national trends."

Masks and hand sanitizer are available in each classroom. Dr. Johnson hopes these measures will keep students in school and learning.

"We’re coming back from a holiday break where everybody was out and about on vacations, we want to make sure that we’re all being safe," said Dr. Johnson.

Masking will become optional starting January 16 but will be highly encouraged.