Masks In Worcester Schools: End Likely In March

WORCESTER, MA — The Worcester School Committee took a series of votes on masks Thursday night. The upshot: masks will soon become optional in schools, although the School Committee will wait for final word from the city's Board of Health.

In a 5 to 2 vote, the committee voted to go mask-optional with sign-off from the Board of Health. That board will meet next on March 7, which means a change in schools may not come until March 8 at the earliest. Members Tracy Novick and Sue Mailman voted no on that measure.

Last week, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced it would allow its statewide public school mask mandate to expire on Feb. 28. That decision empowers local school districts to choose whether to keep mask requirements in place, or allow students to go mask free.

The Worcester Board of Health is in favor of end mask mandates. The board on Wednesday voted 3 to 2 to end the citywide mask mandate. That mandate ended 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, which means Friday will be the first full day without the requirement since mid-September.

The Worcester School Committee on Thursday also voted to postpone talks about a formal district mask policy until the next meeting on March 3. And after a request from student School Committee representative Stacia Zoghbi, the committee voted to ask school district officials to make it clear that students can still wear masks if they want to.