All mass. classes masked
Commish issues ruling covering K-12 for school year’s start
Massachusetts students will be fully masked in school until at least Oct.1, as the state education board on Tuesday granted authority to Commissioner Jeffrey Riley to implement a mandate.
“I know we all want this to be over and we are hopeful that this will be the final hurdle of the pandemic, but we also cannot completely rule out the possibility that masks may be required intermittently throughout the year based on the trajectory of the virus,” Riley said before the board.
The mask protocol will impact all K-12 students, educators, and staff. The mandate would include exceptions for students who cannot wear a mask due to medical conditions or behavioral needs.
After Oct. 1, middle and high schools would only be allowed to lift the mask mandate for vaccinated students and staff and only if the school meets a vaccination rate of at least 80% of students and staff within the building. Unvaccinated students and staff would still be required to wear masks.
Riley pitched the policy as a way to ensure a safe school reopening and also incentivize students and staff to get vaccinated.
“We know that a return this fall to full time in person instruction is crucial, and after the challenges of last year, it will be incredibly important this year to get off on a strong start,” Riley said.
Education Secretary James Peyser said the policy would allow the school year to start “without any confusion or ambiguity about the health protocols that everyone is expected to follow.”
The motion passed 10-1 among members of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, with member Paymon Rouhanifard being the only vote against the mask policy.
Rouhanifard said, “This proposal plays to the visceral tendencies of our body politic that should not ultimately drive public policy. I really think we need to signal that better things, better days are ahead because they are.”
The mask policy is expected to go into effect on Wednesday when Riley formally issues a mandate, according to a Department of Elementary and Secondary Education spokeswoman.
The change comes after weeks of public pressure from teachers unions, health professionals and local officials to implement masking in schools.
Gov. Charlie Baker had long resisted supporting a mask mandate in school, but changed last week when Riley submitted his request to the education board.
The Massachusetts Teachers Association, American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Medical Society, among other groups, voiced support for Tuesday’s vote.
The unions are still pushing for additional mitigation measures in schools such as upgraded ventilation systems, rapid access to coronavirus testing and appropriate social distancing protocols.
Over the past month, more than 100 districts have put policies in place requiring universal masking when school starts, according to a list compiled by the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.