Massachusetts Schools Weigh Dropping Mask Mandate At End Of Month
BILLERICA (CBS) - Massachusetts school districts are left with a big task, deciding whether to lift the mask mandate in schools now that Governor Baker has lifted the statewide mandate starting February 28.
Billerica parent Jenna Ranucci says her middle school son has been struggling and believes it's time. "It's been tough for him because he has a speech impediment," Ranucci said. "It's hard to wear a mask and he's better with it off."
Governor Baker has put the ball in the court of local districts, and one day after the Billerica Board of Health decided to end the mask mandate in town offices and businesses, Superintendent Timothy Piwowar says he'll make the same recommendation to the school committee. "We balance the impact of COVID with the risk of education and social outcomes for our kids," Piwowar said. "We're ready to make that decision and move forward."
Piwowar says he's not concerned about lifting the mandate right after February school vacation week. He says the data did not show any spike in COVID cases at the same time last year, unlike the holiday break.
But it remains a discussion among parents. "There's still a lot of cases now everywhere," said parent Karim Elfadil.
"I'm very excited my children have had enough of this and are ready for normalcy to begin," said parent Jillian Zechner.
Superintendents have been following a statewide policy, only applying for mask exemptions if they reach an 80% vaccination rate.
Tom Scott, the head of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents says there is no one size fits all. "This has been a harrowing experience for superintendents," Scott said. "There is no one good answer to all of these things. They're going to transition once again to something different and time will tell."
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says now is not the time to lift the mandate as the city continues to look at the positivity rate and hospitalizations. "Our Boston Public Health Commission is determined to see a consistent downward trend of numbers so we're not dipping above and below, above and below," she said.
