BULLITT EAST HIGH SCHOOL -FIRST DAY 8-10-2021 2.jpg
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LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Hours before students returned to the classroom, Bullitt County Public Schools voted to require masks.

Up until Monday night, BCPS had plans to start the school year with an optional mask policy to protect against COVID-19.

"It was a decision our board absolutely did not want to make. It was a decision I did not want them to have to make," Superintendent Jesse Bacon said. "We want to honor parent choice the best we can."

But that changed after the school board voted to mandate masks.

"Last week, we had a lot of open houses and orientation-type programs where we did make masks optional," Bacon said. "And through the weekend and part of yesterday, we saw our quarantine numbers really start to rise."

The move for masking is getting mixed reactions on social media and in the carpool drop-off line.

"Obviously, it spreads, and people don't understand everything that's going on," said Elizabeth Hundley, a Bullitt County parent.

But Bobbi Campbell, another BCPS parent, had a different take.

"I just feel like it should be everybody's choice, and that's not saying the virus is not real," Campbell said. "I just feel like we need to keep our immunity and keep building our immunity by not wearing them."

Regardless of what students have to wear when they go inside buildings, district officials said this first day of school is like any other.

Bacon compared the first day to "Christmas" for educators as they welcomed back about 13,000 Bullitt County students to classrooms. Ideally, students, teachers and administrators will be able to attend classes in-person at the school for the entire year.

"Hopefully, this will be the only first day of school this year," Bullitt East High School Principal Chris Mason said. "Regardless of what's thrown at us, we're still going to be positive and we're still going to do the best we can do for our kiddos."

As for the mask mandate, the district said it hopes it's only temporary and they can go back to optional mask policy soon.

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