Mask mandate concerns as Atlanta Public Schools resumes in-person learning Mask mandate concerns as Atlanta Public Schools resumes in person learning Parents will have to prepare their students to wear masks as APS welcomes students back beginning next week. ATLANTA - The countdown is on for Atlanta parents whose children are in the school system. Doors will reopen on August 5 for in-person instruction. A mask will be part of the dress code -- mandatory -- except when your child is in the cafeteria or outside for recess or gym. "I support the mask policy," said Georgia Federation of Teachers President Verdaillia Turner. "The question is implementation."