As mask debate shifts, go easy on school leaders

Leaders of school districts across the state likely winced a bit on Monday. It’s not that they didn’t know this was coming. And it’s not as if their jobs are easy in the best of circumstances. But for two years, one of the most contentious issues regarding the response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been out of their hands, and now it’s suddenly going to be up to them.

The issue, of course, is masking. Thanks to emergency powers granted in the pandemic’s early days to Gov. Ned Lamont, the decision on masking in schools has been solely in the hands of state government. Through surges and lulls, the masks in schools stayed on. Now they could be coming off, but the controversy may not be over.

Lamont is lifting the statewide school mask mandate, and wants the decision left up to individual school districts. That won’t please everyone, including those who want masks gone altogether, no matter who is making the decision. Some districts, after all, could decide to keep the mandate in place. But whatever happens, the decision will be made at the local level.

The move follows that of many other states nationwide as the COVID-19 omicron variant subsides. While the state had seen positivity rates topping 20 percent a few weeks ago, those levels are now back down to levels last seen in the fall. Based on certain metrics, there’s a case to be made for easing up on restrictions.

We also know, however, that new variants can pop up at any time. Before both the delta and omicron variants surfaced, there were strong hints that life was returning to a prepandemic normal and that measures intended to slow the spread would be a thing of the past. Companies that had been operating remotely for months made plans to get back in the office. When the variants hit, those plans were shelved.

The same thing could happen again. The pandemic is very much not in the past, and across the country thousands of people are dying every day. It’s a level of loss that would have been considered unthinkable two years ago, but is today somehow part of the background noise of our daily lives — excepting, of course, those directly affected by those losses.

It would be foolish to pretend that politics doesn’t play a role here. Lamont’s Republican challenger has made masking in schools an issue, and ending the statewide mandate effectively takes the matter off the table. Neither is Lamont alone, as many of his gubernatorial colleagues nationwide are making a similar move.

As the issue moves to the local level, then, the one hope is that all parties, including parents who are exhausted from two years of COVID, can remain civil. School board members are volunteers. Superintendents are beset on all sides with competing interests. Teachers have given everything they have. This won’t be easy for any of them.

Local residents should make their feelings known on masking at school board meetings, but try to maintain composure, even if the decision doesn’t go your way. As students have shown over the past two years, whatever happens, they can handle it.

School board members are volunteers. Superintendents are beset on all sides with competing interests. Teachers have given everything they have.