Fairfield Schools Plan To End Mask Mandate In Coming Weeks

FAIRFIELD, CT — Face masks will be optional in Fairfield schools by the end of the month, assuming the state mandate for in-school masking is allowed to expire.

“As a school community, we commit to respecting the rights of students, staff, and visitors to wear a mask or not to wear a mask,” Superintendent Mike Cummings said Friday in a message to families.

After more than a year of required in-school masking due to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Ned Lamont has proposed ending the mandate and allowing local governments to set their own mask policies. The Connecticut House of Representatives voted Thursday to end the school mask requirement Feb. 28, and the state Senate is scheduled to vote on the matter Monday.

It is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that everyone in Fairfield County wear a mask in public, indoor settings, as the region is considered by the federal agency to have high community virus transmission.

As of Sunday, active coronavirus cases in the Fairfield school district were relatively low, with 14 student cases and six staff cases, according to district data.

Fairfield’s superintendent and school board last week cosigned a letter to Lamont, asking the governor to empower local leaders to oversee virus mitigation strategies in their own communities, as Lamont’s pandemic-related executive orders are set to expire Feb. 15. The letter cited an increased need for special education and youth mental health resources.

“Testing, vaccines, and high-quality masks are now readily available for those who need or choose them,” the letter said. “We are at a crossroads and we ask you the question that many parents have asked us, ‘Where is the off-ramp?’”

Several Fairfield parents spoke passionately in support of mask choice at a Board of Education meeting Jan. 27, with at least one moved to tears.

“This particular psychological burden that we have placed on our children is nothing short of an abomination,” Sarah Matthews said.

Kaitlin Dierna called masking “by far the biggest impediment” to children’s social and emotional wellbeing.

Speech-language pathologist and Fairfield Board of Health member Sally Connolly complained in a Jan. 28 email that Fairfield special education staff were not offering unmasked speech therapy to students, as allowed under a state addendum regarding in-school mask guidance. A district official said requests for intermittent mask exemptions were reviewed on a case-by-case basis.