Face Coverings Required In Concord For 2021-2022 School Year

CONCORD, NH — The Concord School District will be requiring masks and face coverings for most school activities of both students and employees, regardless of vaccination status.

The SAU 8 board of education made the decision on Monday by a 7 to 1 vote as the district prepares for the 2021-2022 school year which begins on Wednesday, Sept. 1. Most families, according to Kathleen Murphy, the interim superintendent of schools, support full-time, in-person learning for the new school year, and district and health officials wanted to make it as safe as possible for everyone.

“The plan takes some essential elements that we have practiced previously,” she said. “And given the record from last year, where we did pretty well, I think we can bring our kids back to school, and getting them back to teaching and learning. That’s what we are here for.”

About a dozen people spoke out against mask requirements during Monday’s meeting, citing a lack of evidence they prevent the spread of the virus and expressing concerns about unclean masks and requiring students to be breathing through cotton or other fibers face coverings for seven to eight hours a day as well as other comments.

Read the full Back to School 2021-2022 Concord School District Plan, including updates on building improvements made during the summer, in this link here.

During the school year, district officials will be prioritizing full-time, in-person learning for as many students and families that want it — with officials monitoring COVID-19 conditions in both Concord and Merrimack County. The district will adjust its prevention strategies based on the level of community transmission, vaccination rates, and other factors. Officials will use state and health advisories to also make decisions.

Families who want to be fully remote for the new school year will have access to programs through the Virtual Learning Academy online charter school while officials continue to ensure students with special education needs and individual education plans are assisted, Murphy said. Assistant principals will be responsible for that process, she said. During a family survey, fewer than 30 stated they wanted to be remote with a few more “on the fence,” she said.

Murphy said there would be no mandate around vaccinations and “no tethering of privileges” to access to afterschool programs, band, sports, or other activities either.

“(Taking the vaccine) is a personal choice,” she said.

Masks or face coverings will also only be required of students and staff when they are indoors — students and employees participating in classes held outside, walking around the school, walking to and from school, can remain maskless.

Schools have been equipped with two filtering systems to ensure 100 percent air circulation, Murphy said. The district will also be looked at “as many strategies as we can” to preserve the safety of students and teachers, she said. The district will make decisions that benefit everyone it serves, Murphy added. Some quarantine rules have been reduced, too, with students not being required to be isolated if they have no symptoms. Quarantining will only be required for family outbreaks or sleepovers or other incidents where students become infected.

“We’re just trying to use the best protocols,” Murphy said.

On Tuesday, Murphy will be meeting remotely with all district employees about the plan to go over its points and hear any concerns they may have. She has also spoken to union officials and said she thought the plan had their support, “for the most part.” It will be different than the 2020-2021 school year where a move by union officials led the board to decide to start school fully remote even though there were few active cases in the city at the time the decision was made.

Many educators were vaccinated, she said, although she did not know how many, as a percentage. About 59 percent of Concord residents are vaccinated, according to the latest data.

Murphy said she got the sense the mask requirement was seen as “positive” to some teachers and union officials.

“Is everyone going to be in agreement? The answer is no,” she said.

Schools, however, are about educating children and Murphy said, their health and safety, from COVID-19 as well as mental health, was important, adding that students missed being around their teachers and friends “and we want to make sure we foster that interactivity and opportunity for them on Sept. 1 when school starts.”

The district will be holding two Zoom meetings on Thursday, Aug. 5, to present the plans and provide time for families to ask questions.

Families with students in pre-K through fifth grade can attend a meeting at 5 p.m. A second session, for students between sixth and 12th grade will be held at 6:15 p.m. The Zoom link for the meetings can be found here.

Murphy said the meetings will be recorded if families are unable to attend and posted on the district’s website (sau8.org).

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