Kingsport School Board Votes To Not Extend Mask Mandate

A mask mandate, with an opt out clause has expired in the Kingsport City School System, and will not be extended. Board members voted Tuesday night not extend the mandate which went into effect at the beginning of this school year. Kingsport has seen its number of cases drop from more than 500 in August to just 55 this month. School officials say 26 percent of the student population had opted out of the mask mandate as part of Governor Lee’s Executive Order 84. School board members will continue to monitor COVID19 cases and could reconsider their decision at its next meeting on November 16 should cases start to rise again.