This is a breaking news story and will be updated. A Washoe County School District decision late Sunday to end a mask mandate for children 9 and under came as a surprise to many, including thousands of district teachers and area pediatricians. In a call and email to parents Sunday night after 8 p.m., the district said it would no longer require masks for the district's youngest students who would typically fall in grades fourth and below. In its statement Sunday night, the district said the decision that students 9 and younger did not have to wear masks inside or outside came from the Nevada Department of Education.