Students at Red River Elementary in Coushatta, Louisiana work on a reading comprehension exercise in early June shortly after Gov. John Bel Edwards lifted his school mask mandate. June 8, 2021. When schools started classes in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, students and teachers were required to wear masks to help stop the spread of the infectious disease. That is not the case this year. In all three states, the governors have left the decision up to local districts, many of which are reluctant to weigh in on an issue that typically generates fierce debate. A small number of schools have already reopened in the Gulf South, while the majority of students are set to return to the classroom over the next two weeks.