Newton School Committee Unanimously Approves Mask Requirement

NEWTON, MA — The Newton School Committee unanimously approved an indoor mask mandate ahead of the upcoming school year at its Tuesday night meeting.

The vote came the same day the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) authorized Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley to institute a statewide mask mandate, which will likely be enacted Wednesday and apply to all students age 5 and older, with medical and behavioral exemptions.

Newton School Committee members were voting on a list of recommendations outlined last week by the district's Medical Advisory Group, which included a mask mandate, vaccinations for all eligible students and staff, routine COVID-19 testing and hand washing, enhanced ventilation in school building, and quarantining for unvaccinated close contacts and those who test positive or have symptoms.

"While the COVID-19 pandemic has not been controlled and the emergence of new variants continues to challenge public health entities, all efforts for NPS need to focus on the well-being of students and the safety of operations for all faculty, staff, and students," said the advisory group in their report.

Although the district's medical advisors acknowledged the continuing pandemic and spread of the Delta variant, they applauded the district's decision to return to complete in-person learning on September 9.

"Considerable data have emerged about the importance of in-person learning for all students for both academic and mental health considerations," says the report.

In addition to the mask mandate, the School Committee also unanimously agreed to authorize Superintendent David Fleishman to amend or suspend the district's COVID-19 policies after consulting with committee members.

Newton Public Schools is hosting a webinar for the school community on Wednesday, August 25 at 7:30 p.m. The session will take place via Zoom with the meeting ID 894 9060 8033 and people can submit questions in advance here.