The 80% high – or junior high
Some cities, towns already reach mark for schools to unmask as of October’s start
Nearly 50 Massachusetts cities and towns have already hit an 80% vaccination rate for those ages 12 to 15 more than a month before the state will allow schools to lift the mask mandate if their student and staff populations reach that vax threshold.
Some of the Boston-area communities with the highest vax rates for that schoolchildren age group — and where schools could be well on their way to meeting the 80% vax threshold — include Newton, Milton, Arlington, Belmont, Needham, Winchester, Wellesley, Natick, Lexington and Concord.
There are also two dozen communities on the brink of hitting the 80% mark for those ages 12 to 15, including in Cambridge, Andover, Hingham, Shrewsbury and Westwood.
Under a new state policy, middle and high schools after Oct. 1 would be allowed to lift the mask mandate for vaccinated students and staff if the school meets a fully vaccination rate of at least 80% of students and staff within the building. Unvaccinated students and staff would still be required to wear masks.
The policy from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is “certainly a good way to incentivize families” to get their kids vaccinated, said Glenn Koocher, executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.
“The carrot and stick approach may work for some districts to work extra hard to get people vaccinated,” he said. “It may be an effective incentive.”
Across the Bay State, 48 communities have a vax rate of 80% or more for those ages 12 to 15, according to Thursday’s weekly data report from the state Department of Public Health.
Also, 24 communities have a vax rate of between 70% and 79% for ages 12 to 15, and could soon reach 80%.
The state does not yet have preliminary data on which schools have hit the 80% vax threshold for staff members.
All staff and students ages 5 and up, including school visitors, are required to wear a mask inside school buildings until Oct 1. Masks are not required outdoors.
The issue of masking in schools has become a concern in recent weeks as the delta variant continues to spread, and children under age 12 are still not eligible for vaccination.
“Elementary-age children are forgotten about in this proposal,” said Beth Humberd of the group Bring Kids Back MA. “A major concern is there’s no off-ramp for those in elementary school.”
Humberd added that she’s “disappointed” the 80% vax threshold policy only ties masking to the vax rate in the school. The state should implement an “evidencebased policy” that’s connected to the virus threat in the community, she said.
She added, “We want a more inclusive set of metrics that doesn’t leave elementary students out and is tied to the actual public health threat on the ground.”
Here are the 48 communities that have already reached 80% vax rate for ages 12-15: Newton, Milton, Arlington, Belmont, Needham, Winchester, Wellesley, Natick, Lexington, Concord, Wayland, Weston, Maynard, Bedford, Hopkinton, Holliston, Medfield, Sharon, Littleton, Carlisle, Stow, Sudbury, Sherborn, Dover, Cohasset, Swampscott, Manchester, Marblehead, Northboro, Southboro, Westboro, Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, Chilmark, Edgartown, Tisbury, Wenham, Northampton, Hatfield, Shelburne, Stockbridge, Great Barrington, Williamstown, Williamsburg, Bernardston, Colrain and Becket.
Here are the 24 communities between 70-79% vax rate for ages 12-15: Cambridge, Andover, Hingham, Shrewsbury, Westwood, Marlboro, Nahant, Eastham, Marion, Norfolk, Topsfield, Westford, Acton, Harvard, Bolton, Boxboro, Boxford, Holden, Longmeadow, Amherst, Sunderland, Leverett, Gill and Erving.