Springfield, Chicopee superintendents discuss mask mandate in schools

Date: 8/31/2021

­­­WESTERN MASS. –  Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Commissioner Jeffrey Riley mandated on Aug. 24 that all students and staff in public schools are now required to wear masks indoors.

This mask requirement is set to remain in place until Oct. 1, upon which time, after that date, middle and high schools may be allowed to lift their mask mandates if 80 percent or more of their students and staff combined are vaccinated against COVID-19.?According to the policy, “DESE?will provide additional information to districts in the coming weeks in preparation for the Oct. 1 date, including how to demonstrate the 80 percent vaccination rate threshold.”

According to the State House News Service, the policy applies to students 5 years of age and older and “strongly”?recommends that younger students also wear masks, however it does exempt students that can’t wear a mask for behavioral or medical reasons and staff who can’t wear masks for medical reasons.

Reminder Publishing reached out to local superintendents to hear their thoughts on this guidance.

Chicopee

Chicopee Mayor and School Committee Chair John L. Vieau supports Education Commissioner Jeff Riley’s decision to issue a universal mask mandate for K-12 schools.

“Our goal is to keep people safe in our buildings,” said Vieau. The Chicopee School Committee passed a mask mandate on Aug. 18 after a 7 to 3 vote. Similar to Riley’s decision, this mandate would be revised on a monthly basis to deal with the ongoing changes of COVID-19 and the delta variant. Vieau said the city of Chicopee consulted local and state health officials to come up with their initial decision.

“I do support the Board of Elementary’s decision on masks for the start of the school year,” said Chicopee Health Director Lisa Sanders. Another key element in Riley’s decision was his recommendation for 80 percent of eligible students and staff to be vaccinated in schools. Vieau explained that the 80 percent goal will be achievable at some point. The school does not know how many staff members are vaccinated at this time, according to Vieau.

To promote vaccinations, Vieau said the school will be offering vaccines to students through the “Vax Bus”. This bus would be put in operation in early September, traveling around to Chicopee’s two high schools and two middle schools to provide vaccinations for eligible students. “We’re excited about bringing the vaccine right to the students and departments. The city of Chicopee is doing everything we can to encourage people to get vaccinated,” said Vieau.
 
Springfield

Springfield Mayor and School Committee Chair Domenic Sarno supports Education Commissioner of Jeff Riley’s decision to issue a universal mask mandate for K-12 schools.

“It’s the right and smart move to make. We will continue to monitor the numbers,” said Sarno. Sarno said that Springfield was ahead of the curve, announcing a mask mandate for Springfield Public School students on Aug. 3. Springfield is placing additional safety guidelines in place, including maintaining three feet distance between people in schools, implementing pool testing and developing a virtual school for students, according to Sarno.

Regarding Riley’s 80 percent goal, Superintendent Daniel Warwick agrees that goal is something to work toward. “I think it’s an ambitious goal, but I do think the vaccination has to be a huge priority for school systems across the state,” said Warwick. While Warwick doesn’t have access to exact numbers, he said that vaccination rates for staff are “very good” at this time.

Springfield continues to make a conscious effort toward vaccinations, according to Sarno. The Springfield School Committee announced during their Aug. 17 meeting that the department is teaming up with Big Y to provide vaccination centers for every school. These centers will be open to staff, students and family members when schools open.

“We’re going to continue to push the facts about getting vaccinated and we’re going to continue to work with parents to get eligible students vaccinated,” said Sarno. Ahead of the fall, Sarno said that COVID cases have been “very miniscule” during summer school sessions.