Bethel School Board Votes To Make Masks Optional

BETHEL, CT — The wearing of masks in the Bethel Public Schools will soon be optional.

The Board of Education voted to eliminate the mask mandate for students and staff inside school buildings, effective Feb. 28.

The school mask mandate was a product of Gov. Ned Lamont's pandemic emergency executive orders, which are no longer in effect. Last week, Lamont recommended the mandate be dropped in favor of local control effect Feb. 28. The House agreed to extend the governor's executive orders through the end of the month, and the Senate did likewise on Monday.

"We anticipate, even as we see in the broader public, that individuals' choice to wear their mask will be dependent on their own risk factors," Superintendent Christine Carver said.

Carver has asked parents to speak with their children about being respectful of those choices, and "help to promote a culture of inclusivity."

The public transportation mask mandate, coming down from the Feds and not Hartford, will remain in effect, so masks will still be required on school buses.

Bethel schools will continue to provide staff with N-95 masks, for so long as supplies from the state last. They will also continue to maintain the school buildings' HVAC systems in compliance with COVID standards, and work with families who have individualized circumstances and/or are at high risk, according to Carver.

Guidance on how schools should best navigate a transition to a masks optional policy are forthcoming from the state Departments of Health and Education, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and are expected before Feb. 28.