Details of Queensland's back to school plan have been released just over a week before classes return, as the state records 13 virus deaths and 8580 new cases.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk says with the new term to begin on February 7, masks will be mandatory for high school students and "strongly encouraged" from grade three upwards.
Teachers "can remove masks to teach" and students can remove them while seated, she said.
Rapid tests will be available in schools across the state and given to the parents of children who develop symptoms in class to take at home.
Likewise, teachers who develop symptoms will be able to collect a rapid test from the school.
Ms Palaszczuk said much of the state was going through the peak of the Omicron wave at the moment and the decision to delay the return to school by two weeks was the right one.
In offering her condolences to their friends and families, she said Queensland's latest pandemic fatalities were all aged in their 60s or over.
