FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WOWO): The superintendent of Northwest Allen County Schools is asking parents to have their kids mask up for school, despite a school district policy that makes it optional.

According to the Journal Gazette, Superintendent Chris Himsel sent an email to parents over the weekend saying that the spread of COVID-19 has been “significantly increasing” among school-age children and noting that Allen County is now in the second-highest category on the state’s color-coded case-tracking map.

In the letter, he encourages “each parent and guardian to have their children voluntarily wear a mask and comply with recommendations from the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics, and others.

Fort Wayne Community Schools is the only school district in Allen County requiring the use of masks indoors; their school year kicks off today.