The Brownsville Independent School District on Wednesday announced it will lift its mask mandate. 

Effective Monday, March 7, face masks will be optional and encouraged at Brownsville ISD. 

The district made the move "after careful consideration and due to the decrease in COVID-19 cases," according to a statement from Superintendent Dr. Rene Gutierrez. 

Javier Noreiga says his grandson is a middle school student at BISD, with underlying health conditions. Even though the district is lifting the mask mandate, he says he'll continue to encourage his grandson to keep wearing masks. 

"We strongly recommend that everybody else that sends children here— to strongly recommend for their children to either get vaccinated or continue to wear their mask," Noreiga said.

The district said it will continue to follow safety protocols, which include: 

• • Face masks are ENCOURAGED
• • Ensure six feet of social distancing as much as possible
• • Handwashing and sanitizing protocols
• • For individuals who are not fully vaccinated or have a compromised immune system, wearing a mask and social distancing are highly recommended; and
• • For individuals who test positive, you are required to quarantine for five (5) days and wear a mask for an additional five (5) days; refer to COVID-19 Flow Chart.