Masks Optional on February 28
Weston public school students and visitors to Town buildings will no longer be required to wear face coverings as of February 28.
An announcement this morning by First Selectwoman Samantha Nestor said because “the trajectory of Covid is clearly towards fewer cases,” masks will become optional in Town facilities at the end of the month, a decision made in consultation with the Aspetuck Health District, the Emergency Management team, and neighboring towns.
Last week, the Board of Education ratified a recommendation by Superintendent Lisa Wolak to make masks optional on February 28, the effective end date of the now-repealed state mandate.
If fortune reverses in the course of the pandemic, state authorities retain the right to restore school mask mandates from the end of February until the end of June, but provided no indication of specific metrics that would compel them to do so.
For the most part, the state now leaves it up to local school boards and superintendents to respond to a Covid-19 resurgence, should one occur, including the task of devising their own metrics.
A brief guidance document provided to districts mainly urged consideration of general factors long a matter of common knowledge and mitigation measures already in place.
In a letter to parents of students, Superintendent Wolak said, due to federal law, for at least the time being masks are still required on school buses.1 First Selectwoman Nestor noted that other authorities may still require masks in healthcare facilities, locations housing vulnerable populations, public and private transit, and correctional institutions.
The school district plans to distribute test kits to students and staff this week, and asks that “all members of our school community” test themselves before leaving for school on the 28th. Ms. Wolak said, “we are in the process of reviewing other Covid-19 mitigation practices, such as visitor limitations, and we expect to update families in early March.”
1 Editor’s Note: The “time being” didn’t last long. The day after this article was published, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention rescinded its order requiring masks on school buses, effective immediately.