Face Coverings to be Required in K-12 Schools and Child Care

Beginning September 7, 2021, all staff and children in K-12 schools and licensed child care facilities will be required to wear face coverings, according to an order issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

The order follows the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation that all K-12 schools, child care and other early learning settings require masks

Learn More

On August 31, 2021, the Pennsylvania Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Bureau of Early Learning Policy and Professional Development and Bureau of Certification released the Announcement C-21-07: COVID-19 Policy Updates to communicate the expectations for compliance of the order by certified child care facilities as well as to provide clarification of ongoing reporting requirements related to COVID-19.

Face Coverings

The Order requires individuals age two and older to wear a face covering (covering the nose and mouth with material that is secured to the head with ties, straps, or loops over the ears or is wrapped around the lower face) while in school and child care settings, regardless of vaccination status.

Exceptions are detailed in the order.

Reporting

Child care providers must continue to use the COVID Data Collection Tool and notify their designated Department of Human Services (DHS) certification rep of exposure and/or new positive cases of COVID-19. Facilities that do not have access to the COVID Data Collection Tool should inform their certification rep to ensure the information is entered into the COVID Data Collection Tool by DHS personnel.

More Information

For details, read Order of the Acting Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health Directing Face Coverings in School Entities and Announcement C-21-07: COVID-19 Policy Updates.

More information on the effectiveness of mask wearing, including citations and published research, can be found on the CDC website.