Salem Schools Prepare For Mask-Optional Monday Transition

SALEM, MA — As Salem schools prepare for the shift to mask-optional classrooms at most grade levels for the first time in two years of the COVID-19 health crisis on Monday, teachers and staff will have conversations with students this week about respecting others' choices when it comes to masking.

Once the mask order lifts Monday, however, it will be the responsibility of parents and families to ensure their students understand their mask wishes, since teachers and staff will not be taking on the charge of enforcing a family's desire of whether a particular student remains masked or not in class.

"That's where we really encourage families to be having these conversations with students," Superintendent Steve Zrike said on Wednesday. "We'll create the culture and the environment where everyone can feel welcomed. But the discussion of ensuring your child wears a mask —or does not wear a mask — is a conversation you should be having with them.

"Our staff, we need them to focus on teaching and learning and ensuring the learning experience continues as strong as possible until the end of the year."

The Salem School Committee voted 5-2 on Monday night to make masks optional inside schools and school transportation starting on Monday for students, teachers and staff in grades kindergarten through Grade 12.

(ALSO ON PATCH: Split Vote Sends Salem Schools Mask-Optional For Most Students)

Students, staff and visitors to pre-K classrooms at the Early Childhood Center and those specific classrooms at the Bates and Horace Mann schools are to remain masked until late April when the School Committee will revisit the policy for the population of students not yet eligible for vaccination.

"We see this as a change — a significant change — in our policies," Zrike said. "But this is not a cause for celebration or rejoicing that the masks can come off. Everybody will make their own decisions about masking.

"When we say 'optional' we mean optional. Regardless of what choice you make the school system will support the decisions of our families, our students and our families."

The district will continue pool surveillance testing, the at-home rapid test distribution and the test-to-return policy where nursing staff will follow up with any student who tests positive for COVID-19 to make sure after five days they have either tested negative in a rapid test or have been symptom-free for at least 72 hours before returning to the classroom.

Salem Schools has also received a shipment of smaller KN95 masks designed to fit the faces of elementary school and smaller middle school faces. Those masks will be available to all students upon request.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)