School officials await word as classes near

School districts across the state are preparing for the first day of school, including the potential for mask-wearing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week revised its guidance and is recommending students wear masks in schools. It’s also recommending that fully vaccinated people to wear face coverings indoors in certain areas of the country where COVID cases are on the rise.

To the question of whether they will require students to wear masks to school, area superinten

dents of schools have said they are awaiting word from Gov. Ned Lamont. Tuesday, some said they would follow whatever directives they received from Lamont.

Region 7 Superintendent Judy Palmer said it was still a “wait and see” situation.

“I have not yet completely read the updated CDC ruling on masks,” she said. “However, the Governor’s Office, the Connecticut Department of Public Health and the Connecticut State Department of Education will determine the path we take in Connecticut school districts. I don’t know how closely aligned their guidance will be, and I am not sure when their guidance on masks will be released.”

Chris Leone, superintendent of Region 6 and Litchfield Public Schools, also regards the latest news as a moving target.

“It is clear that data, and guidance, will continue to change,” he said. “We, in turn, will need to be flexible and adapt to that change.”

Connecticut does not immediately fall into the areas of the country where the CDC recommends fully vaccinated people wear masks inside public settings. The new recommendations apply to those in areas with “substantial to high” community transmission of the virus, but the CDC had all of Connecticut listed Tuesday as having moderate spread, according to Hearst.

Ahead of the official announcement from the CDC, Lamont said, “If this is the way they end up going, we would probably continue to follow their lead and say that would be our recommendation as well.”

Lamont said Tuesday he would “tend to track” with the CDC recommendations on schools, but he has yet to make a final decision on the matter. He said he was waiting a few more weeks to see if cases increased.

The shift in the CDC guidance comes amid new evidence that the delta variant can spread among those who are fully vaccinated, unlike with other strains, officials said Tuesday.