NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The public schools will extend the use of face coverings at least until at least March 14.

 

The School Committee voted reconvene on that date to make a decision, depending on COVID-19 data in the schools. 

 

Gov. Charlie Baker lifted the state mask mandate in public schools as of Feb. 28 and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control is no longer requiring masks on school buses or vans. 

 

That doesn't mean that masking is off the board, said Superintendent Barbara Malkas, but rather it has been shifted to local decision makers. 

 

"The guidance that came through from the CDC did not unilaterally eliminate mask wearing in schools," she said. "There there are still some caveats and still some consideration is around rates of infection."

 

The latest draft policy from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees is that face coverings are "strongly recommended" to be worn indoors by those unvaccinated or otherwise immunocompromised.

 

Some school districts have extended mask mandates into March, including Pittsfield, which is waiting for data from this week before lifting its mandate. Lenox is extending to March 15 and has set parameters for lifting the ban, and Central Berkshire is also waiting until next week to take up the issue. 

 

The exception has been McCann Technical School, but Malkas noted it was a single high school that has a high enough rate of vaccination that its committee felt comfortable lifting the mandate. 

 

"Pretty much every district that had a mask policy in place wanted to wait until a little bit of time after to see what the infection rates were post vacation," she said. "Personally, that is the view that I support. 

 

"Because I don't want us to be in a situation where we are making a decision mass no longer have to be more than school. and then within a few days or a week, we find ourselves in a situation where we should be putting maths back on."

 

She recommended waiting two more weeks before making a decision.

 

Malkas said the schools reported eight new cases on the first day back from February vacation on Monday. This is compared to 30 coming back from the holidays. 

 

"It's not so much any one individual day that's going to indicate whether or not we are seeing a decrease in the number of infections but certainly the trend or pattern over time," she said. 

 

Judith Fairweather, speaking on behalf of the North Adams Teachers Association, urged the committee to consider teachers' concerns in discussing the masking. The union's survey of its members found that more than half of respondents were in favor of masking. 

 

"There were 102 respondents, although more than 50 percent are just completely filling with the mass motivate in the public school and their voices deserve to be heard," she said. About two-thirds want those who are unvaccinated to continue masking. 

 

Fairweather noted that there had been less concern about positive cases within classrooms because everyone was masked.

 

"What will happen when a member of a classroom is positive and masks are no longer required?" she asked, asking the committee to consider vulnerable adults and children and protections for those who still choose to mask. 

 

Malkas said the vaccination rates for students are not very high, at least according to the voluntary reporting.  Out of 504 students in secondary grades, 257, or 51 percent, are vaccinated; only 37 percent of the 658 elementary students, responded and, of those, 26 were vaccinated. 

 

The superintendent said staff is much higher, with 90.6 percent of the 248 responding vaccinated and closer to 98 percent for professional staff. 

 

 

"I don't know what the right answer is I'm actually disappointed .... or to make required for students who are not vaccinated," said 

 

Committee member Emily Daunis said she didn't know what the right answer was but was disappointed in the low rates of vaccination. Requiring masks for those unvaccinated might help motivate them," she said.

 

Committee member Karen Bond wanted to know how the testing and quarantining would work with changed policy. 

 

"I really think community needs to know how this is going to play out and not be surprised if their child misses school because they receive testing or something like that," she said.

 

Malkas said the schools are continuing the test and stay program but acknowledged that the "catchment of students who will be considered a close contact with that definition and without wearing masks will increase."

 

Students who are symptomatic for the novel coronavirus and test positive, will be out of school for five days from the day they test positive. No symptoms, they must continue wearing a mask. 

 

"Those different scenarios could lead to a higher level of absenteeism, if we in fact see a higher level of infection in schools," Malkas said. 

 

The superintendent believed the state Department of Education would be evaluating in April whether it would continue to provide free surveillanced testing. April 22 was given as the last date for opting in to contract tracing. 

 

Committee member David Sookey open to lifting mandate sooner but, like several other members, felt they should wait until after the first pool testing results came in Friday. 

 

Committee member Richard Alcombright moved to simply keep the mask mandate in place but Bond felt it should have a date certain. 

 

" I think leaving it without a date leaves everyone in limbo, because we're going to have to make this decision either way," she said.

 

The motion was amended for the School Committee to meet Monday, March 14, at 4:30 p.m. at which point it will have two weeks of data.