Massachusetts extends school mask mandate to at least January

Schools

Government officials say the move will “give time” for elementary school students to get the COVID-19 vaccine this fall.

Third-grade student Vraj Patel is working on a computer as he wears a mask during summer school at Horace Mann School in Salem. John Tlumacki / Boston Globe

Governor Charlie Baker’s administration is holding the state-mandated indoor mask mandate for Massachusetts schools in place for the rest of the year.

The State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced Tuesday afternoon that Education Commissioner Jeff Riley had notified school districts that he will extend the current universal mesh requirement in all elementary and elementary schools to at least January 15, 2022.

In a statement, Education Minister James Peyser said the move would “allow time for the primary school population to receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” ahead of the expected approval and rollout of Pfizer’s vaccine for children ages 5 to 11. Government officials have said they expect to receive doses of the pediatric vaccine in early November.

“This will be another big step forward in our efforts to keep the school safe for our children, ”said Peyser.

The extended mandate, which was set to expire on Monday, will continue to allow colleges and middle schools to lift the requirement for indoor face coverage for vaccinated individuals if 80 percent of their students and staff are vaccinated. At least seven have received approval after reaching the threshold, and Hopkinton High School became the first public school in Massachusetts last week to go ahead with plans to at least temporarily lift its mask requirement.

Unvaccinated persons will continue to be required to wear masks indoors.

DESE said Tuesday that it will “evaluate and consider other criteria that could be used in the future to raise the mask requirement based on public health data,” in collaboration with medical experts and government health officials. “

“Masks remain a simple and effective measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep students in school safe,” Riley said Tuesday.

Riley noted that the mask mandate complemented the state’s COVID-19 test program for the school, high vaccination rates, low transmission rates in schools and “all the hard work of keeping our students safe” and in school.

Under the extended policy, all public school staff and pupils aged 5 and over are required to wear masks indoors in schools – except when eating, drinking or during the mask breaks, as government officials say “should occur when windows are open or students are outdoors” if possible. Masks are not required outdoors.

All visitors are also expected to wear masks in school buildings, regardless of vaccination status. And government officials strongly recommend that students under 5 also wear a mask to school.

There are exemptions for students and staff who cannot wear masks for medical reasons, as well as for students who cannot do so for behavioral reasons.

State officials noted that the repeal of the mask mandate in schools that meet the 80 percent threshold remains a local decision made by school and district leaders.

And in the state’s largest school district, Boston mayoral finalists Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George both said during a debate Monday night that they would keep the Boston Public Schools’ mask mandate in place even though some schools had 80 percent of their students and staff vaccinated. Essaibi George said she would keep it in place for the rest of the school year, while Wu would keep it even if the schools hit the 80 percent threshold (she did not elaborate beyond that).

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