CHEYENNE — During Governor Mark Gordon’s press conference Wednesday, he commended the state’s school districts for their work in developing Smart Start reopening plans and made clear that masks will probably play a big role in opening schools back up.

He said the schools have been working on their reopening plans and that they are now presenting them, and he is proud of the work they have done. However, he said what happens at the start of the school year is still unknown.

“It’s pretty unclear what may happen by mid-August,” Governor Gordon said.

He said they do know that the COVID-19 Coronavirus will still be around when school starts back up.

“The schools have been doing their best to address it,” he said.

Governor Gordon made it clear to Wyoming residents that masks will probably play a big role in reopening schools for in-class instruction.

“Masks will help those schools stay open, masks will help our kids get back to those classrooms where they need to be, and masks will help them get back to education. We won’t lose any more of that very precious time,” he said.