Oregon will require students and staff at K-12 schools to mask up when school starts in September.

Amid concerns about the spread of the delta variant, Gov. Kate Brown directed the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education on Thursday to create a rule to require masks to be worn indoors at schools for the 2021-22 school year.

The governor’s decision puts the state in line with updated guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The rule would undercut the Astoria School District. The school board voted 3-2 earlier this week to recommend, but not require, masks regardless of vaccination status. The school board wanted to leave the discretion on masks to families.

The delta variant, a more contagious version of COVID-19, is spreading in Oregon communities, Brown said in a statement.

“My priority is to ensure our kids are able to safely return to full-time in-person learning this fall, five days per week and with minimal disruptions,” the governor said. “With many children still ineligible to be vaccinated, masks are an effective way to help keep our kids safe in the classroom, the learning environment we know serves them best.”

Other schools in Clatsop County had yet to finalize whether they would require masks after the state released updated guidelines last week. At the time, the state had recommended, but not required, masks in schools.