more sense of relief even while the pandemic rages on. are you putting students at risk by not requiring mask? >> i think in our school system we're really honoring the parents and the students' personal decisions. >> reporter: and to those who say those personal decisions are making others less safe, what do you say? >> one thing that we are doing as a school system is monitoring the numbers. >> reporter: outside a dropoff, most parents we spoke to in the county, a conservative community between atlanta and athens weren't worried about wearing masks, even with covid cases on the rise in the county, with a seven-day average of more than 20 cases per day. the area is listed on the cdc tracker as having a high community transmission rate where masks are recommended for everyone in public indoor settings. but parents like merriam robinson told not wearing a mask gives her 14-year-old daughter the freedom to express herself. >> does that freedom of