Face coverings will be optional for students in grades K-12 in Lindbergh Schools beginning Thursday.

The district announced Wednesday that face coverings will be optional for all students and staff in grades K-12 beginning Feb. 10.

Students must continue to wear face coverings on buses, as required by federal mandate and in certain cases of COVID-19 exposure, as outlined in the district’s “Family Checklist.”

Masks will remain optional in K-12 schools as long as a building’s weekly percentage of individuals who test positive or are presumed positive does not exceed 1.5 percent of a school’s total population, including staff. The weekly percentage is calculated each Wednesday based on in-school exposures only but data in the surrounding community is also considered.

“Over the past two weeks, we have seen a significant decrease in COVID-19 positivity rates throughout our region, and a drop in cases throughout our schools as well. As a result, face coverings will be optional for all students and staff … beginning tomorrow,” Superintendent Tony Lake said in an email to parents Wednesday.

The change applies to all elementary, middle and high school students and staff, as well as Central Office and Support Service Center personnel.

Students and staff will continue to wear masks in Lindbergh Early Childhood Education until vaccine access is expanded to children younger than 5.