The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) has updated its back-to-school guidance, recommending masks in schools and on buses and 3 feet of separation between students but no COVID-exposure quarantine, assuming the first two rules are followed.

ADPH's stance on masking in K-12 schools echoes that of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics; however, it is up to local school boards to enact mask policies in the absence of a statewide mask mandate. Last week Gov. Kay Ivey doubled down on her opposition to a statewide mandate for schools, saying through a spokesperson that she has been "crystal clear" on this.