Two board members want to end the policy and make masks optional 60% of surveyed district employees want to keep mask requirement COVIV-19 active cases have decreased since late December Five of the seven Rutherford County Board of Education members back keeping the mask requirement policy through the end of the school year. The seven board members responded to same question from The Daily News Journal about the mask issue, and their answers are provided below. A unanimous board in July established the mask policy as part of the reopening of schools plan after students had been out since March 2020 because of the pandemic.