MALDEN, Mass. – Students entering K-12 public schools across Massachusetts this fall will get a return to normalcy after two years of restrictions and disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley and Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner Margaret Cooke jointly issued Monday a memorandum that there is no state requirement for masking in schools, except for within school health offices, and the commonwealth is not recommending universal mask requirements for school districts. Last year, students and teachers across Massachusetts at the start of the school year were required to wear masks in schools, but the mandate was dropped Feb. 28.
Riley and Cooke did note that those who wish to still wear masks in schools “should be supported in that choice.”
COVID-19 testing within K-12 schools is no longer available, Cooke and Riley said, and contact tracing is no longer recommended across the state. However, both Cooke and Riley recommend that schools and districts interested in implementing their own testing programs this school year should limit such testing to only symptomatic rapid testing. The commonwealth is not recommending test-to-stay testing within schools, Cooke and Riley said.
MDPH is offering several back-to-school COVID-19 vaccination clinics both in August and September. According to the department’s website, there are 18 clinics scheduled within Fall River and New Bedford between Wednesday and Sept. 6. Cooke and Riley also recommend communities to encourage people to receive flu vaccinations as well.
All of the commonwealth’s recommendations are based on the recent guidance issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It is unclear what COVID-19-related guidance, if any, Rhode Island state education officials have issued for students and families across the Ocean State entering the upcoming school year. R.I. Department of Education spokesperson Victor Morente told Providence Business News late Tuesday that the department and the R.I. Department of Health are working closely with one another to make updates to the state’s guidance based on the latest information from the CDC.
RIDE and health department representatives are scheduled to meet next week with school leaders to discuss the CDC’s latest information, Morente said.
(SUBS last two paragraphs with comment from Morente; MINOR edits.)
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
