Gov. Jared Polis on Thursday stuck to a a hands-off approach to mandating masks and other COVID-19 mitigation measures in schools, despite calls from members of the health care community.

Before Polis spoke to reporters Thursday morning, a group of 19 Colorado health care organizations released a statement calling on residents – especially students returning to in-person education – to wear masks indoors. The American Academy of Pediatrics took a similar position on face-coverings in schools last month.

The state, which prioritized consistent in-person learning this year, last month recommended districts take a layered approach to COVID-19 prevention including masking, distancing, and testing.

Officials updated state recommendations, following a federal call to urge districts to either require masks for the unvaccinated or for everyone.

The state has left final decisions to districts.

Peppered with questions about schools by reporters Thursday, Polis stood by local control of pandemic prevention measures. He said rapid testing will be made available to districts, calling the tests a key component of COVID-19 response for schools. The state will also continue delivering masks to schools.

“The science shows us that failure to implement these policies could result in more Colorado children needlessly getting sick,” he said.

He said 17 people 19 years of age and younger were in Colorado hospitals in cases tied to coronavirus out of more than 500 total patients.

“It is our top priority to keep in-person education and for kids to be safe. As you know, the state Board of Education, our superintendents, have asked for authority to tailor these local health policies for their schools. We agree with that, we’re honoring the tradition of local control in these decisions.”

Polis said masks aren’t a “silver bullet” and contended masking alone “does not work.” He said the state believed in a layered approach like the one mandated for schools last year.

When asked why masks couldn’t be required and other approaches still implemented by districts or the state, he pointed to some states that have banned masking in schools completely and noted that Colorado has continued to support face-coverings.

Two Duke University scholars earlier this year examined 100 school districts in North Carolina which required masks last year. The researchers determined “(p)roper masking is the most effective mitigation strategy to prevent secondary transmission in schools when COVID-19 is circulating and when vaccination is unavailable, or there is insufficient uptake.” A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention review of similar studies found that the consistent and correct use of multiple mitigation efforts “provides greater protection in breaking transmission chains than implementing a single strategy.”

Glen Mays, of the Colorado School of Public Health, told the Gazette late last month that he was concerned about three groups amid the current spike in cases: unvaccinated adults; older adults in long-term care facilities; and schoolchildren.

“Without universal masking we are likely to see significant transmission in school settings this fall,” he said. “Given the increased testing in schools, this means that even asymptomatic and mild cases will be detected, resulting in many disruptions to education as kids undergo rounds of isolation and quarantine.”

On Thursday, Polis said in districts where face-coverings aren’t required, parents can send their kids to school in masks. For a year, Polis required masks indoors. 

The state may step in if a district or school has moved to virtual learning because it’s eschewed some mitigation efforts, like masking, Polis said. Some level of closures and quarantines is to be expected, he continued, but if districts are “failing to stay in-person” because they’re not using masks, “we will absolutely take action.” 

Statewide health regulations that required masking were allowed to expire in May, as the number of coronavirus patients in hospitals fell from peaks in late 2020. Polis said Thursday the state is continuing to monitor hospital capacit.

Colorado officials will step in, potentially with regulations, is hospitals are taxed beyond capacity.

With a new school year dawning across Colorado, school districts are unveiling mitigation plans. In contrast to the Denver  metro area’s previous attempts to implement uniform COVID-19 measures across counties, a patchwork of requirements have emerged.

Cherry Creek announced it would  keep masking voluntary, prompting outcry from doctors in the community. Denver Public Schools last week said it would require masks, regardless of vaccination status, for anyone inside of its buildings. Jefferson County Schools officials said they will require students 11 and under to wear masks. Vaccines are now available to those older than 12. 

Adams Five Star Schools requires masks for staff in district buildings, but face coverings are not required for students.