Teachers unions praise new CDC mask guidance, while California maintains previous policy for 'equality'

The nation’s two biggest teachers unions have praised the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new coronavirus guidance for schools, saying it offers a “roadmap” for a return to normal, even as some states go a different route. 

The guidance, however, is only a recommendation. Some states have dropped mask mandates, such as Rhode Island, which did so at the end of June, according to USA Today.  The unions, the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association, praised the CDC decision as "grounded in both science and common sense," The New York Times reported.