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Date: 9/9/2021
SOUTHWICK – Despite the controversy surrounding mask mandates, every child wore the required face covering on the first days of school in the Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District, Superintendent Jennifer Willard said on Sept. 2.
Willard said the only problems on the first day, Sept. 1, were buses running late, in part due to the weather that morning.
“It has been great, actually. Everybody, even with the first day on the buses, we got to school and were able to open before the rain,” said Willard.
Before a state mandate took it out of their hands, the local School Committee had gone back and forth on its requirement that all students and staff wear masks indoors, regardless of family preference or vaccination status. The board originally voted to “strongly recommend” masks for unvaccinated students, but did not make it a requirement. That decision was later overruled by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
In the days leading up to the start of school, Willard announced that the mask mandate will be enforced progressively, with an unmasked student first being sent home for the day and assigned to speak with a school counselor. Students who repeatedly refuse to wear masks could face a conference with parents and administrators, eventually resulting in suspension.
Despite the backdrop of masks and the new wave of the pandemic, Willard felt positive about having kids back for in-person learning.
“It was a really good opening. Kids were excited to be back in school. You could feel the energy,” said Willard.
There is a path out of the mask mandate, though the three-town district has a steep hill to climb to get there. After Oct. 1, any middle or high school with a vaccination rate of 80 percent or higher can lift the mask mandate for those in the building who are vaccinated. Unvaccinated persons will continue to need masks.
Willard said to the Southwick Select Board on Aug. 24 that the vaccination rate for grades 7-12 was only 40 percent, at most. Willard said Sept. 2 that she will update the school community each week on the current vaccination numbers for the schools, beginning Sept. 7. She said she wants people to be able to see how close the schools are to reaching 80 percent.
“The schools are open and the kids are back, and that’s all that matters,” said Willard.
Until the vaccines are approved for children under 12 years of age, Woodland Elementary School will likely retain its mask mandate even if Powder Mill and Southwick Regional School reach the threshold.
As of Aug. 26, in Granville and Tolland, the vaccination rate for all 12- to 15-year-olds is 51 percent, and for 16- to 19-year-olds it is 67 percent. In Southwick, 12- to 15-year-olds have a vaccination rate of 47 percent, while it is 61 percent for 16- to 19-year-olds. Willard noted that those numbers may not match the rates for the schools themselves, as some district residents attend schools outside of Southwick.