GREENFIELD — The School Committee voted by majority Thursday night to relax its policy on masks in schools, effective immediately.
The policy — which replaces a requirement that all staff and students wear a face covering when inside school buildings — now states that vaccinated individuals are no longer required to wear masks but may do so if desired, and unvaccinated individuals, or those who are immunocompromised, are “strongly recommended” to wear masks, but are not required.
The policy also states that masks are no longer required on school buses, unless the school uses a private transportation company with its own mask-related policy.
Masks will, however, be required in all school health offices.
“What’s important to me in this policy … is that for those people who really want their children to wear masks to school, they are able to do that and they are supported by the staff in that,” said Mayor Roxann Wedegartner, who also serves on the School Committee. “That is very important.”
The guidance also outlines the process for staff and students returning to school after a five-day quarantine following a positive COVID-19 test, in that “strict mask use” is required through day 10 of exposure.
The policy passed by a 6 to 1 vote, with Elizabeth Deneeve the only member voting against the policy.
“I’m saddened that this has become such a political issue,” Deneeve said. “This is not about politics and I feel like we need to reiterate that this is about public health. … I think we’re jumping the gun.”
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Commissioner Jeffrey Riley announced last month that the statewide mask requirement would be lifted Feb. 28, at which point local school districts would have the authority to develop their own policies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also relaxed its guidance for mask wearing on school buses, though masks are still required on other forms of public transportation.
Thursday night’s meeting followed an in-person School Committee meeting on Tuesday that had been scheduled to discuss the Greenfield School Department’s mask policy and to review the superintendent’s proposed budget. However, the meeting barely made it past the public comment portion, following several residents’ refusals to wear masks while at the meeting in the Greenfield High School cafeteria, where masks were still required per the policy at the time. Adding to public confusion at the meeting was the mayor’s announcement on Feb. 18 that masks were no longer mandated at the city level.
The meeting was abruptly adjourned on the advice of legal counsel after the committee’s failed attempts to resume public comment following two five-minute recesses. A new meeting was posted for a virtual format on Thursday.
“I’m supportive of adopting this policy, but I want to talk a little bit about the bigger picture,” School Committee member Glenn Johnson-Mussad said on Thursday night. “I think we’re still at a phase in the pandemic when masking in a big public setting like a public school makes sense.”
He equated masking policies to unfunded mandates, in that schools largely weren’t provided the space and staff to have students spread out.
“I do think we need to face the fact there’s been a big failure here to address this pandemic the way it needed to be addressed,” Johnson-Mussad said. “The vaccination rates are dismal. The amount of resources put into schools was … totally inadequate.”
He added that Tuesday night was an example of how “impossible” it is to enforce a mask policy.
“I wish we were all in a place where we could come together and take care of our neighbors by wearing masks a little bit longer, but I don’t think we’re there,” Johnson-Mussad said.
Superintendent Christine DeBarge said there is still a supply of masks available for students and staff who want them, and the filters that were purchased for air purifiers are still being maintained.
Other mitigation strategies, she said, will continue to be reviewed, though she noted most will be relatively easy to implement, including encouraging frequent hand washing and social distancing.
“We will still continue to do our pooled testing and contact tracing,” DeBarge added. “That’s something we could have moved in a different direction, but our nursing staff felt it was a valuable tool for us, so we’re going to continue to do that.”
School Committee member Jean Wall echoed the mayor’s sentiments, noting her concern for students who do wish to continue wearing masks.
“I would urge every school to have adequate masks for students and I would urge parents … to teach your children not to bully students who are wearing masks,” she said. “That is my concern — the amount of anger we saw this week over masking or not masking makes me afraid a child will be bullied for wearing a mask, and I would hate for that to happen.”
Before a vote was taken, School Committee member Kathryn Martini acknowledged all the input the committee has received on both sides of the debate.
“I do also hope the community will stay just as engaged about other really important issues we have coming,” Martini said.
Reporter Mary Byrne can be reached at mbyrne@recorder.com or 413-930-4429. Twitter: @MaryEByrne