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Date: 8/24/2021
WESTHAMPTON – During a Aug. 17 meeting, the Westhampton Elementary School Committee unanimously voted for strict COVID-19 safety guidelines for the start of the upcoming school year.
According to Hampshire Regional District Superintendent Diana Bonneville, the document that explains the guidelines is an ever-evolving document that could change based on future numbers.
Due to the growing number of delta variant cases, the Westhampton Elementary School have voted to require masks indoors for faculty, students, and visitors, regardless of vaccination status. Masks will also be required while on buses and other modes of school transportation, and windows will be open for ventilation. Masks will not be required outdoors, during distanced mask breaks, or when students are eating lunch. There will be future language that comes out before the school year begins highlighting what constitutes a proper mask.
Exceptions can be made for students who have medical or breathing conditions, or if the mask causes other discomfort. The committee suggested that a primary care physician provide a note if those situations arise, especially if a student claims that a mask causes a lack of breathing. Parents and caregivers cannot excuse their child from the face mask requirement by signing a waiver.
Much of this language, according to Bonneville, was taken from the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC), and the school’s attorney was able to look at the language prior to the meeting. The current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also advises everyone in Massachusetts to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
“We really wanted to take a restorative approach that we’re going to support students in their individual circumstances and developmental levels in order to help them comply with the mask wearing,” said Bonneville. She added that the school and district plan on educating those students who may refuse to comply to the mask rule about the importance of mask wearing, rather than completely threatening them with a punishment.
While guidance from the MASC suggested that masks do not need to be worn during physical education, the committee voted to still require masks during those classes if they are indoors.
“We’d like to start off where we left off in the spring,” said Bonneville. “It’s always better to come out strong and make sure that we’re safe, and then ease up as we gauge our numbers and make sure we don’t have higher infection rates.”
Two of the more polarizing guidelines that came out of this meeting included a rule that would allow faculty and staff to not wear their masks while alone in their office, as well as another rule that would make masks optional for vaccinated faculty and staff during professional development days while still following social distancing guidelines. Bonneville originally wanted to give vaccinated teachers the option during the professional development days for comfort purposes.
Ultimately though, the School Committee did not feel comfortable allowing any teachers to take their masks off, even when students are not around. The committee will revisit this guideline later if numbers change.
Morley Cleary, the chair of the Westhampton School Committee, was one of the multiple committee members who were against the idea of not requiring masks for faculty during professional development days.
“We’re seeing people that are vaccinated can still contract the delta variant and transmit it,” said Cleary. “So, I’m thinking if you have the whole school staff meeting in a room unmasked, and someone is asymptomatic and has it, then all the rooms in the building have people who have been exposed.”
Cleary believes that by allowing a rule like that to exist, the possibility of exposing unvaccinated students to the virus will always be present and could possibly hinder chances of long-term in-person learning.
“If there’s spread among teachers, that could lead to spread to students,” said Peter Cleary, the vice-chair of the committee. “Everybody is saying that in-person learning is incredibly important, and I wouldn’t want to get into a situation where we don’t have teachers available or maybe students have to stay home.”
Committee member Scott Johndrow argued that teachers who are vaccinated should have a choice to wear a mask during professional development days since students would not be around.
“If it’s a staff development meeting, there’s going to be no children there,” said Johndrow. “And you don’t know what these people after work, so what’s the difference of that … you can’t mandate that they can’t do their own thing.”
The plan is for the School Committee to meet monthly to discuss ways in which they can adjust the guidelines. As of press time, the state was still working on more guidance for the future.
The next meeting is set for Sept. 14.