Braintree Schools Reviewing Options After Mask Mandate Extension

BRAINTREE, MA — Massachusetts schools continue to be under a mask mandate through at least October. But some will have the option of asking out of the newly extended state requirement.

Braintree Public Schools could be one of the districts seeking an exemption, but whether school officials make that call is still being decided, interim Superintendent Jim Lee said. Lee said there's still a lot school officials need to review, following the mandate extension. He said any decision to pursue an exemption will come from the school committee.

The state on Monday extended its mask mandate, but allowed an out for schools that have an 80 percent vaccination rate among students and staff. Schools need to meet that threshold by Oct. 15 to qualify. That limits the possibility only to high schools and middle schools, since vaccinations aren't approved for children under 12 — and most sixth-graders are 11. In Braintree, there's also fifth-graders at East Middle School.

"Although we have not collected individual vaccine data at this point, it would be fair to state that BHS (Braintree High School) would be our only site that could realistically achieve an 80 percent vaccine rate," Lee said in an email to Patch.

Lee said because the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner put out the extension Monday, school officials as of Tuesday haven't decided when mask rules will be on the school committee's agenda. The next school committee meeting is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 4, and Patch will provide an update on whether it's added to the agenda beforehand.