Danbury School Board Votes To Make Masks Optional

DANBURY, CT — The wearing of masks by students and staff in Danbury Public Schools is optional, effective immediately.

The Board of Education voted unanimously to rescind the local mask mandate during a special meeting called for Monday evening at 7:30. That meeting immediately followed a 7:00 p.m. meeting of the BOE's Policy Committee, who took into consideration updated federal guidelines to recommend dropping the mandate.

Masks are also no longer require on school buses, following new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released Friday.

At its most recent regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, the board had made the decision to delay voting on rescinding the mandate until their March meeting. Factors that contributed to the decision included a previously scheduled vaccine clinic for children aged 5-11 which would enable them to be fully vaccinated by Mar. 22, and insufficient guidance issued by the state Department of Public Health.

The new guidance comes as the virus becomes endemic and the Biden administration focuses on preventing serious illness and death from COVID-19 rather than all instances of infection. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky tweeted Thursday that the agency is shifting its focus to concentrate on preventing the spread of COVID-19 to minimize the strain on the health care system.