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Date: 3/17/2022
EASTHAMPTON – The Easthampton School Committee met to discuss the decision to make masks optional in all schools at their March 8 meeting. After a lengthy debate with cases for both sides, the committee officially voted to rescind the mask mandate effective March 9.
To begin the discussion, Superintendent Allison LeClair gave a COVID-19 update.
According to LeClair, 1,300 students and staff are testing for COVID-19 weekly in school. Eight hundred and fifty-five tests are being sent home to students and staff on a weekly basis out of a total population of 1,600.
“We have by far the majority of our staff and students being tested at least once, if not twice per week currently,” said LeClair.
Eighty-two percent of middle and high school students are vaccinated against COVID-19 and 60 percent of elementary students are vaccinated. Ninety-five percent of staff are vaccinated as well.
LeClair said Easthampton did not experience a spike in COVID-19 cases after February vacation. For the week of Feb. 28, only five new COVID-19 cases were reported, two of which were staff. For the week of March 7, only one new case has been reported.
“Based on that information, the COVID-19 Response Team unanimously decided that their recommendation is to lift the mask mandate effective immediately in all schools in Easthampton,” said LeClair.
She said that this comes with the caveat that if the guidance from the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changes or if the COVID-19 levels go back into high categories, they would then review this decision.
LeClair herself is a part of the COVID-19 Response Team and said that she was part of the decision to make this recommendation.
It was up to the School Committee, however, to cast the final vote.
School Committee Chair Cynthia Kwiecinski brought up her concerns with unmasking in the elementary schools.
She said she would support unmasking at the middle and high school levels given that the buildings are new. However, the elementary schools have older buildings and poorer air ventilation, she said.
She proposed waiting to unmask until the end of the month where students can begin to go outside when possible and teachers can keep their windows open with warmer weather.
LeClair said that the air quality at the elementary schools has been studied and, therefore, that wouldn’t be an issue with unmasking.
“We met or exceeded the air quality in all of the classrooms. If we didn’t, if it wasn’t up to four air exchanges per hour, which was the national normed air flow standard, then we added filtration. So all of our buildings, all of our elementary schools, meet or exceed,” she said.
She also emphasized that the administration in Easthampton schools is not interested in making separate mask decisions for different grade levels. She said that she recommends either keeping the mask mandate in all schools or eliminating the mandate in all schools at this time.
“We do not want to micromanage that as a school district,” said LeClair.
There are currently no COVID-19 cases in the elementary schools, according to LeClair.
“I don’t know what we’re thinking of masking for because the case numbers are not there right now,” she said.
She also noted that school staff, students, families and the school union are ready to move to the mask optional procedure based on several discussions and surveys done.
“The school community is ready to make this an impact tomorrow. Not next week,” said LeClair.
Mayor Nicole LaChapelle expressed her support for removing the mask mandate due to the low number of COVID-19 cases and the resilience and response the city had in handling the virus.
“Because of the strength of what we’ve done and what we’ve talked about today, I’m in full support of rolling back the masks throughout the schools starting tomorrow,” she said.
After a final vote, the School Committee rescinded the mask mandate in all schools.
Both students and staff will now have the option to not wear masks beginning immediately on March 9. Masks will still be required in school health offices and for five days when returning from a COVID-19 positive event.