Petition started to keep masks in Palm Beach County schools May 11, 2021 at 1:41 PM EDT - Updated May 11 at 4:51 PM An online petition is now collecting hundreds of signatures to keep face masks in Palm Beach County schools. Parent Meagan Bell, the organizer of the petition, said she's aiming to gather 2,000 signatures and present it at next week's Palm Beach County School Board meeting. "To ensure the safety of students, teachers and staff, masks should continue to be mandated for all who step on Palm Beach County school campuses until community spread of COVID is extremely low," the petition reads. "Since all students will be required to attend class in person in the fall, social distancing will not be possible and masks will be even more essential to keep COVID from spreading in schools and in our community at large."