The statewide mandate for students in childcare and K-12 schools to wear face coverings will be over when students return from February vacation.
Education Secretary James Peyser said high vaccination rates and a decrease in positive coronavirus test rates mean the state is safe enough to have children take off masks while at school. The state will recommend that all students continue to wear masks after the statewide mandate expires, but the decision will fall to individual districts starting Monday, Feb. 28.
"It's the end of the statewide mandate to wear masks, which means the districts can decide at a district-wide or school-wide level to continue to mandate for a longer period if they so choose," Peyser told GBH News.
Peyser said that many schools will choose to keep the masks in place, meaning there would be no change for those students after the statewide mandate ends.
Currently, a school can opt out of the mask requirement if 80% of its student population is vaccinated.
"Many children are not taking well to the masks," Peyser said. "It is a distraction from their studies. It is uncomfortable and it is sort of conveying a message that schools are not safe places to be — and all the evidence we have suggests that they are."
State education officials are encouraging schools to make sure they are providing enough tests so that districts can maintain high levels of at-home and pool testing for COVID-19 after the masks come off.
"The big thing that we're asking schools to do — and that we'll be supporting them in doing — is continuing their testing program, including testing, using rapid tests as well as the pool testing program," Peyser said.
Massachusetts will be one of the first states with a school mask mandate to end the requirement. Delaware and New Jersey recently announced plans to lift their school mask mandates in March.
