By MAUREEN DOHERTY
NORTH READING — When the town’s schoolchildren, educators and staff members returned from February vacation this past Monday they were free to go mask-less if they so chose.
This meant that for the first time in close to two years they were able to see the smiles on the faces of their friends and classmates and hear conversations that were not muffled by cloth or paper masks.
As an added bonus, in addition to DESE allowing school districts to drop their COVID-19 mask-wearing protocols inside school buildings and facilities as of Feb. 28, the CDC also dropped its requirement that students, staff and bus drivers wear face masks on school transportation services.
Prior to the start of February vacation the word had been that while the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) was giving districts the choice to drop the mask mandates inside schools, the federal rules would mandate continued wearing of masks on school buses and vans.
In a letter to the North Reading Public Schools community issued Sunday, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Patrick C. Daly sought to “recognize the efforts of students, families, nurses, educators, administrators, and staff to navigate the incredible challenges we have faced in the past two years.”
“Our school culture will be supportive of students and staff who choose to continue to wear a mask as well as those who choose to longer wear a mask at this time,” Daly stated in his letter.
Additional changes in school protocol as related to COVID-19 signals what appears to be the beginning of the end of this daily effort to mitigate the spread of the virus and its variants for 23 months.
There will remain situations when masks are necessary in school settings, so keeping a spare or two inside a Ziploc baggie in backpacks and pocketbooks for use when needed is likely to be the norm in the foreseeable future.
• Masks will be optional for all staff and students (including on school buses and transportation)
• The Daily Health Screener no longer needs to be completed
• Masks are still required in the nurse’s office, for the YMCA programs, and when returning to school after being COVID-positive (for Days 6 through 10).
“We imagine as we return from break that many will still choose to wear a mask in recognition of the fact that there is often an uptick in positive cases after travel,” Daly continued. “In speaking with our administrative team I believe we will see many of our administrators both wearing masks at times as well as unmasking, in solidarity and support of the various choices of our students and staff, and modeling their decisions on the particulars of the situation and environment.”
“DESE and Department of Public Health (DPH) guidance continues to highly recommend that unvaccinated individuals continue to mask and they will continue to monitor public health data and will update their guidance as needed moving forward,” Daly stated.
The superintendent also noted that “YMCA programs that operate in our schools are still following CDC, DPH and EEC guidance and will continue to require masks for their programs for the time being.”
Respecting individual choices urged
“It is important for everyone in our school community continue to respect each individual choice and to recognize that each person may be in a different place with respect to their decisions. Some may have specific, health-related reasons for remaining masked, and I ask that all families have a conversation with their children to reinforce that everyone has a right to make this choice,” Daly stated.
“Please consider that even social media posts of groups of unmasked children with their smiling faces at school could be challenging for those children who need to remain masked. Similarly, no child who chooses to be unmasked should ever be made to feel that this choice is not safe, and all children should be supported and included in all school and extracurricular activities,” the superintendent stated.
Daly stated that it was still recommended that everyone in the at-home testing program, as well as anyone who has traveled during the vacation week, take an at-home antigen test the day before returning to school or work and report positive results to the school nurse.
“Due to the availability of these home testing options we believe that we can move away from the use of the Daily Health Screener moving forward. Please continue to report any symptoms, positive cases, and concerns to your school nurse who will be able to assist you with any next steps and questions,” he concluded.
For those seeking more information on the CDC’s protocols for travelers and school transportation as well as recommendations on when to wear masks visit this site: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/face-masks-public-transportation.html.