Brookfield BOE Votes Unanimously To Suspend School Mask Wearing

BROOKFIELD, CT — The Brookfield Board of Education has voted unanimously to suspend its mandatory school masking policy, allowing for mask wearing to be optional effective March 1.

The decision came during a special meeting Monday night.

The school mask mandate was a product of Gov. Ned Lamont's pandemic emergency executive orders, which remain in effect only until Tuesday, unless extended by lawmakers in Hartford.

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.

"So we now have the legislature, the governor, and the Department of Public health basically saying to us, 'the mask mandate is essentially ending officially on Mar. 1,'" Barile said at the meeting, prefacing the vote.

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.

The state Department of Public Health has not yet provided promised guidance and metrics on how schools should best navigate a transition to a masks optional policy, according to Barile.

"It is important to emphasize that if your child is feeling ill, keep him/her home," Barile said in an email to parents Monday following the vote." Also, for any students or staff that test positive for COVID-19, know that should you choose to return to school (when symptom free on Day 6 at the earliest), you will be required to wear a mask through Day 10.