school mask mandate is extended through "at least January 15, 2022"

MASC-SchoolCommittee (@MASCSchoolComm) tweeted Tue, Oct 26, 2021:

Commissioner Riley has announced that the state #MAEdu school mask mandate is extended through "at least January 15, 2022." 

Please see attached documents for more information. https://t.co/2TC9w7Mp93

Today, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced that after consulting with medical experts and state health officials, Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley notified school districts in the Commonwealth that he will extend the mask requirement in all K-12 public schools through at least January 15, 2022.

 

The Department, in collaboration with medical experts and state health officials, will continue to evaluate and consider other criteria that could be used in the future to lift the mask requirement based on public health data.

 

“Massachusetts is a national leader in vaccination rates for adults and eligible children, and in anticipation of the vaccine becoming available in the coming weeks for children ages 5 to 11 years old, this extension of the mask requirement will allow time for the elementary school population to receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” said Education Secretary James Peyser. “This will be another big step forward in our efforts to keep school safe for our kids.”

 

“Masks remain a simple and effective measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keep students in school safely,” said Commissioner Riley. “Together with the Test and Stay program, high vaccination rates, low transmission rates in schools and all the hard work in keeping our students safe, our kids are able to stay in school where they belong and can flourish.”

 

School officials will continue to be able to lift the mask requirement if they can demonstrate that at least 80 percent of all students and staff in a school building are vaccinated after submitting documentation to DESE. Lifting the mask mandate through the vaccination threshold is a local decision made by school and district leaders if they choose to take advantage it.

 

The following mask requirements will remain in effect:

• Public school students ages 5 and older in all grades and staff are required to wear masks indoors in schools, except when eating, drinking or during mask breaks
• All visitors are also expected to wear a mask in school buildings, regardless of vaccination status
• Masks are not required outdoors
• It is strongly recommended that students younger than 5 also wear a mask in school
• Students and staff who cannot wear a mask for medical reasons, and students who cannot wear a mask for behavioral reasons are exempted from this requirement

All districts are required this school year to provide in-person learning to all students. Since the start of the year, approximately 920,000 public school students have been learning in schools with minimal disruptions. In addition to masking, this progress has been possible thanks to school communities working together to participate in the state’s COVID-19 testing program, combined with high vaccination rates among eligible populations.

 

Massachusetts has become a national model for surveillance and rapid testing in schools. More than 2,200 public and private schools have opted into either one or multiple forms of testing that the state is providing free to all schools. DESE and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services launched a groundbreaking Test and Stay program for students identified as close contacts in school, allowing students to be tested daily and remain in class if they test negative. This innovative approach has saved students across the Commonwealth more than 48,000 days of in-person learning this school year.

 

In August, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education gave the commissioner the authority to require masks for public school staff and students (ages 5 and above) in all grades through at least October 1, 2021. The commissioner said he would revise the requirement as warranted by public health data.

Press Release link ->  https://mailchi.mp/doe.mass.edu/press-release-i6d5p52m94

Shared from Twitter:  https://twitter.com/MASCSchoolComm/status/1453047563679113221?t=M3ibA_AbhgZE472tEIjmDw&s=03

school mask mandate is extended through "at least January 15, 2022" 

Boston Globe: mask and schools; inappropriate behavior changes rule for KP football games

"Mass. communities are reluctant to let students remove masks in school — even when they can"

"Scores of Massachusetts communities have been so effective at getting students and school staff vaccinated that they may no longer have to abide by the state’s mask mandates for their middle and high schools right now — if they chose to.

But while more than 60 communities have met the Baker administration’s threshold of 80 percent or higher vaccination rates among teens, only two — Hopkinton and Ashland — have sought and received permission to stop requiring inoculated students and staff to wear masks in their high school.

And Hopkinton officials are having second thoughts.

The Hopkinton School Committee opted to delay any action to lift the state mask mandate in its high school even though the state gave the town permission on Oct. 7."

Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/15/nation/mass-communities-reluctant-let-students-remove-masks-school-even-when-they-can/

"‘Inappropriate’ behavior prompts new rule for some students at King Philip Regional High football games"

"Middle and elementary school students will now have to bring a parent or guardian with them to attend varsity football games in Wrentham following unruly behavior at home matchups this season, according to a letter sent to King Philip Regional School District families last week.

The new requirement was put in place after young students were caught “exhibiting unruly, inappropriate, disrespectful, and unsportsmanlike behavior during games” at King Philip Regional High School several times over the last few weeks, Superintendent Paul Zinni said in the Tuesday letter.

Zinni said the incidents are “unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”

“At King Philip, we pride ourselves on our sportsmanship and integrity for all student-athletes and the student body,” Zinni wrote. “We have all been enjoying cheering on our team this season and wish for their continued success.”

Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/16/metro/inappropriate-behavior-prompts-new-rule-some-students-king-philip-regional-high-football-games/

Boston Globe: "Behind the state’s school masking policy: a collision of science and politics"

"Opponents of school mask mandates have often been louder and more insistent than supporters — even though polls suggest they’re in the minority. Parent groups opposed to making students wear masks in school have filed at least six lawsuits across Massachusetts to stop the policy.

Now, internal state e-mails suggest that anti-masking activists are having a significant impact on the Baker administration, which has resisted full compliance with federal guidance that students should wear masks at school even if they’ve been vaccinated. Current policy will soon allow schools with high vaccination rates to drop mask requirements for vaccinated students and staff.

The determination to follow this middle path may be in part political. When a Massachusetts General Hospital doctor asked in an e-mail why the state was not following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, a top state health official was blunt: pressure."

Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/10/02/metro/behind-states-school-masking-policy-collision-science-politics/

Boston Globe: "Behind the state’s school masking policy: a collision of science and politics"

"a mask reduces the potential exposure of the person wearing it"

"If I’m the only person wearing a mask in a store or other indoor location, am I really protected from infection?

It’s true that masks work best when everyone in the room is wearing one. That’s because when an infected person wears a mask, a large percentage of their exhaled infectious particles are trapped, stopping viral spread at the source. And when fewer viral particles are floating around the room, the masks others are wearing would likely block those that have escaped.

But there is also plenty of evidence showing that masks protect the wearer even when others around them are mask-free. The amount of protection depends on the quality of the mask and how well it fits. During a hotel outbreak in Switzerland, for instance, several employees and a guest who tested positive for the coronavirus were wearing only face shields (with no masks); those who wore masks were not infected. And a Tennessee study found that communities with mask mandates had lower hospitalization rates than areas where masks weren’t required."

Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required)

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/21/well/live/covid-masks-protect.html

Ben's guide to mask wearing - #DoYourPartFranklin

MindShift: "How to Choose the Best Face Mask for Your Kids"

MindShift (@MindShiftKQED) tweeted on Mon, Aug 30, 2021:

Experts agree that the most important thing in selecting masks is to choose one that a child will actually wear properly all day long. https://t.co/aY4VKYP5Wn

"Which masks are best to keep kids safe? It's a question on many parents' minds as students return to in-person school amid a huge wave of coronavirus infections. Masking is a key safety measure in schools for all kids, especially for children too young to be eligible for any COVID-19 vaccine.

A recent study involving 100 school districts and 14 charter schools in North Carolina found that masks were effective at preventing in-school transmission of COVID-19 — even with physical distancing of less than 3 feet.

We asked several experts what parents should consider when it comes to masks for their kids. They all agreed that the most important thing is to choose one that a child will actually wear properly all day long."

Continue reading the article online ->   https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/58388/how-to-choose-the-best-face-mask-for-your-kids

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED/status/1432544925153853440?s=03

MindShift:  "How to Choose the Best Face Mask for Your Kids"

FM #591 & 592 - School Committee Meeting - 08/24/21 - audio recording in 2 parts

FM #591 & 592 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, numbers 591 & 592 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares the Franklin, MA School Committee meeting held on Tuesday, August 24, 2021.

The meeting was conducted in a hybrid format: the School Committee members were in the Municipal Bldg along with some of the public, other members of the public joined via conference bridge, all to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

The recording runs about an hour and forty eight minutes (1 hour 48 minutes), so I split the meeting into two segments:

• First - covers the opening, the handbook updates, and re-opening status (~56 mins)

• Second - covers the citizens comments on the masking policy from DESE, the consent agenda, through to the closing of the meeting (~53 mins)

Links to the meeting agenda and associated documents released for this meeting are included in the show notes. The link to my notes taken during the meeting is also provided.

Let’s listen to this segment of the School Committee meeting Aug 24, 2021

 

Part 1 -> https://player.captivate.fm/episode/5f222fa5-c28e-4fea-990e-c82a38fadb91

Part 2 -> https://player.captivate.fm/episode/78bb69ef-d83c-49e9-9562-dd85585b60af

--------------

School Committee Agenda doc (including connection info) ->  https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/sc-agenda-8-24-21

 

Agenda folder -> https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/pages/august-24-2021-school-committee-meeting-packet

My notes captured during the meeting

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/08/recap-school-committee-meeting-82421.html 

--------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.  

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

 

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

 

FM #591 & 592 - School Committee Meeting - 08/24/21 - audio recording in 2 parts

The Hill: "At least 90,000 students have had to quarantine because of COVID-19 so far this school year"

"Just weeks into the new school year, at least 90,000 children in 19 states have had to or are currently quarantining or isolating after contracting COVID-19 or coming into contact with someone who tested positive for the disease.

The disruptions have caused uncertainty for parents, students and school districts that had hoped to resume in-person instruction after a year marked by lockdowns and virtual learning.

The staggering number of K-12 students under quarantine is largely driven by the highly infectious delta variant that has taken hold as the dominant strain in the U.S.

....

Bans on school mask mandates and the fact that no vaccines have been approved for children under 12 are helping to drive cases."

Continue reading the article online

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/569565-at-least-90-thousand-students-have-had-to-quarantine-because-of-covid-19-so

Andy Slavitt's Twitter thread - 08/25/21

Via Andy Slavitt, a worthy Twitter thread to share:

• COVID Update: There are few more important or sensitive topics than kids & their health. They are being made pawns in a dangerous game. We need to be put a stop to it. 1/
• There is a fairly loud camp that believes the focus on kids is overblown & mask mandates are harmful. Much of their logic if there is any has to turn on the fact that very very few kids have died from COVID. Thankfully most indeed recover. That argument misses a lot. 2/
• Let’s start with data. There were over 130,000 reported cases of COVID-19 in kids this week. Up 4x from a month ago. But we’re just getting started & before school is back in much of the country. 3/
• A number of these cases turn serious. Between 1/2%-2% of kids end up hospitalized & they are out of room for kids in much of the Southeast. And some kids get MIS-C or any of a number of other ailments that hit adults— from kidney disease to brain issues to cardiac issues. 4/
• So there are say 1-2 thousand kids being hospitalized every week. And frankly we’re just getting started. About 1% of those stricken with the polio virus got paralysis. We used to think that was important. 5/
• What’s that look like? I called a pediatrician virologist in Alabama Children’s today. He walked me through it. Many of us have been to an ER with our kids & when they can’t be seen for hours & it’s chaos. This feels worse. 6/
• Pediatricians describe kids with SARS-CoV-2 who can’t get their breath & are scared. Doug Ducey is bribing schools now not to require masks. He should step foot for a hot second inside a Children’s Hospital & face the families there & listen for an hour. 7/ 
• If you’ve taken your child into the hospital with swine flu or RSV, you know it’s no picnic. (Our sons have had both) If they have to stay the night, it’s generally because of their labored breathing & high fever. Being sent home because there’s no room is terrifying. 8/
• Unlike earlier respiratory viruses, pediatricians tell me that with SARS-CoV-2 & you add an array of potential mysteries, an immune system that is confused and a limited array of medicines. Generally no monoclonals. Steroids & some traditional drugs. 9/
• Parents ask questions that don’t have answers. We count on the child’s immune system to be in working order. No pediatrician I’ve talked to has seen a vaccinated kid in the hospital. Many of course are under 12 & have no choice. 10/
• Yet, to Ducey-DeSantis-Abbott, hospitalized kids are like school shootings— the price of freedom. And the numbers suggest most schools that don’t take precautions will have families in this situation 11/
• Because the costs are so patently low & the solutions so patently clear, its even harder to squint your eyes & imagine someone arguing a child sick enough to be hospitalized doesn’t require action. But here we are. 12/
• The basics of protecting kids @school are known to everyone. 1- vaccinate adults. Lower prevalence will keep kids the safest 2- vaccinate kids 12 & up. Very very few vaccinated kids are hospitalized. 3- require kids & teachers to wear masks. 4- Mitigate schools w 8+ measures 13/
• For schools who have adopted those measures (ventilation, eating, masks, etc), studies show there is almost no spread in schools. (Delta might challenge that near zero result— we don’t know). 14/
• Arguments that kids shouldn’t miss in person learning are right on. But when they’re made by an adult who hasn’t been vaccinated & doesn’t support these measures, be clear they think it’s important enough to say but just not important enough to do something about. 15/
• The idea that masks are harmful to kids (usually according to some obscure study of 14 kids in a journal no one has heard of or peer reviewed) doesn’t stand up to the science of respiratory viruses. It’s an argument made by people who feel they shouldn’t have to bother. 16/
• We are constantly reminded of the non-illness scars on kids from the pandemic. Missing school, mental health, missing friends, losing parents. This is sadly all true but it doesn’t make the argument anti-mask/vax people think it does. 17/
• Getting kids back to school safely would be maybe the one thing we might imagine everyone agrees on. But the fact that we have the tools & don’t use them says it all. 18/
• Adults should add to the list that kids can see their considerations are the bottom of anyone’s concerns— if they appear at all. When adults won’t get themselves vaccinated even to keep kids safe, it sends a clear message to kids how little they matter. 19/
• And they will have many years to remember & thank us as we age. /end

https://twitter.com/ASlavitt/status/1430598141888237569

"Are masks effective for kids? Here’s what to know before school starts" & DESE mask order detailed

"What do we know about masks and their effectiveness in schools?

The American Academy of Pediatrics — as well as many doctors and scientists — support universal masking policies as the best chance to keep schools safely open. A properly fitted mask that covers the nose and mouth reduces the amount of viral droplets in the air exchanged by people breathing or talking near each other, said Dr. Ibukun Kalu, a pediatric infectious diseases expert at Duke University Medical Center.

Several studies have shown the effectiveness of masks. One of the largest, conducted by the ABC Collaborative with Duke University, analyzed data from North Carolina public schools where masks were required. Researchers found that from March to June, 7,000 children and adults attended school while infectious with COVID, leading to 40,000 “close contacts” being quarantined. Of those, only 363 contracted the virus.

That low rate of in-school transmission was due in large part to masks, Kalu said, as most schools didn’t upgrade ventilation or socially distance students."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/08/25/metro/are-masks-effective-kids-heres-what-know-before-school-starts/

Arianna Licona, 6, led a class of first graders into the Hill School for Revere's first day of classes on Wednesday. For the first time since early March 2020, all 11 Revere Public Schools opened at full capacity for the 2021 school year.CRAIG F. WALKER/GLOBE STAFF/THE BOSTON GLOBE

"The new guidance from @MASchoolsK12 in line with the Commissioner's conferred authority is now online: https://t.co/C84yY6vSMF "  #MAEdu

Shared from Twitter:   https://twitter.com/MASCSchoolComm/status/1430668117538222080?s=03

DESE link ->  https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/2021-0825mask-requirement.pdf

Senator Becca Rausch: Our Public Health Victory

View this email in your browser  https://mailchi.mp/562f0db507e7/reopeningupdate-14805612?e=0c2c9810fe Dear friends,    Greetings from Beacon Hill! I hope all of you are enjoying the final days of summer and gearing up for heading back to school in just a couple of weeks.    Throughout this pandemic, I have been leading the fight to protect our communities' health and well-being. Most recently, I've been laser focused on ensuring our children and teachers can return to classrooms safely this year. Time and again, Governor Baker and his administration rejected the scientific evidence and data-driven recommendations to mask up everyone age 2+ in schools. Thousands of you engaged by sending me emails, posting to social media, signing an open letter petition to the Governor, and contacting your friends, family, and neighbors to join us.    And it worked.    Earlier today, thanks to your advocacy, the Board of Education authorized universal indoor masking in K-12 schools all across the Commonwealth until at least October 1. Whether you are a student, parent, teacher, school committee member, public health expert, or advocate -- this victory belongs to you.     Our fight for science and safety is not over, of course. This mask mandate is the floor, not the ceiling. It does not apply to childcare, nor does it does not set up middle and high schools for success after October 1, according to some experts. I am grateful to know that we are in this together.    My goal throughout this fight has always been to give our children the safe, supportive, and successful school year they deserve. We can only achieve that through statewide data-driven public health measures, such as the one approved today.  Let's celebrate, and let's keep going.     Yours in service,  Senator Becca Rausch  Our mailing address is: The Office of Senator Becca Rausch Massachusetts State House, Room 218 24 Beacon Street, Boston, MA 02133

In another shift, Baker Administration will mandate masks for K-12 school opening

Massachusetts K-12 (@MASchoolsK12) tweeted Fri, Aug 20, 2021:

PRESS RELEASE Education Commissioner to Ask Board for Authority to Mandate Masks in Public Schools to Provide Time to Increase Vaccinations - https://t.co/CLO6N5sTXC #MaEdu #COVID19MA @MassEducation

"Education Commissioner Jeffrey C. Riley will ask the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to grant him authority to mandate masks for all public K-12 students, educators, and staff through October 1 to ensure schools fully reopen safely and to provide time for more students and educators to get vaccinated. After October 1, the commissioner’s policy would allow middle and high schools to lift the mask mandate for vaccinated students and staff only if the school meets a certain vaccination rate – at least 80 percent of students and staff in a school building are vaccinated. Unvaccinated students and staff would still be required to wear masks.

The mandate would include exceptions for students who cannot wear a mask due to medical conditions or behavioral needs.

 

The Commissioner will revisit the mandate in the near future to revise it as warranted by public health data. The purpose of the policy is to encourage higher vaccination rates among students and staff and to implement a uniform policy for all schools to begin the year."

Continue reading the full press release:  https://t.co/CLO6N5sTXC

Assuming the proposal does come to reality, the Franklin School Committee will remove from its agenda its own policy update as 'not needed'

https://www.franklinps.net/sites/g/files/vyhlif4431/f/uploads/discussion_action_b_-_policy_adoption.pdf

Press release hared from Twitter:   https://twitter.com/MASchoolsK12/status/1428737492627468290?s=03

CommonWealth Magazine coverage ->  https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/in-another-shift-baker-mandates-masks-in-schools/

State education commissioner Jeff Riley. (Photo by Llyr Johansen)

"Public health ... cannot be adequately protected by individual choices"

"The end of the institution, maintenance, and administration of government, is to secure the existence of the body politic, to protect it, and to furnish the individuals who compose it with the power of enjoying in safety and tranquility their natural rights, and the blessings of life…"

—Preamble to the Massachusetts Constitution

"AS TWO MOTHERS who work in education policy, we have been steeped these past 18 months in the ongoing deliberations regarding public education during this pandemic. Where students were educated, under what conditions they were educated, on top of the ongoing questions of how and how well they were educated has been what we have lived for the past year and a half. As we prepare for our third school year impacted by COVID, much of the energy of this discussion has settled on masking.

Gov. Baker and state Education Commissioner Jeff Riley have abdicated their responsibilities for the public health of our schoolchildren and school staff. As a result, this decision has devolved to local school committees, who are on the receiving end of heated arguments of individual choice regarding this public health issue. School committees have been flooded with petitions and messages from abled, medically healthy families making claims to individual rights. However, school committees oversee government schools, and these public schools thrive only when the common good is available to all its students, not just the abled and medically robust. "

Continue reading the essay online ->  https://commonwealthmagazine.org/education/baker-should-protect-all-students-with-mask-order/ 

A young girl on the playground at the Mather Elementary School in Dorchester on October 1, 2020, the first day some students returned to in-person classes. (Photo by Michael Jonas)

Senator Rausch Files Universal Masking Bill For MA Schools

This afternoon (08/02/21), Senator Becca Rausch filed SD. 2723, An Act mitigating COVID-19 transmission among children and families, a bill requiring universal masking among students and staff in all Massachusetts K-12 schools as well as childcare programs licensed under the Department of Early Education and Care. The legislation will also ensure no attendance penalty for students with vaccination appointments during school hours and provide paid time off for parents and caregivers taking students to get vaccinated against COVID-19. 

This bill comes on the heels of last week's announcement from the Baker Administration of nonbinding masking recommendations for Massachusetts schools. The guidance contradicts updated CDC guidance and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guidance on COVID-19 safety in schools, both of which strongly recommend in-person learning with mandatory mask-wearing indoors and vaccinations for all students, staff, and faculty.

"With less than a month before our children head back to school, this administration chooses to play Russian roulette with the health of Massachusetts students and families,” said Senator Rausch (D-Needham). “I have heard from so many parents, school committee members, teachers, and public health experts who are rightly worried, angry, and frustrated in the wake of DESE’s weak, unenforceable, and non-binding mask recommendations. This administration fails to follow the science to the detriment of every community in this Commonwealth. I filed this bill to give families and school staff the piece of mind they deserve about protecting their health and safety.”

In addition to mandating masks for students aged two and older and staff in Massachusetts early, primary, and secondary education programs, the bill also provides excused absences from school for COVID-19 vaccination appointments, as well as up to six hours of paid leave for any parent or caregiver bringing their child to get immunized against COVID-19. 

"It is the job of our government to protect our most vulnerable - which includes our Commonwealth's children," said Dr. Natalya Davis, a Quincy pediatrician who led a sign-on letter last week among medical professionals to mandate universal masking in Massachusetts schools. "Masks are a simple, safe, cheap intervention that saves lives. This is not debatable despite what opposing voices say. With Delta cases rising, masks are crucial to control the spread of COVID-19 while we vaccinate as many eligible individuals as possible." 

Today, by unanimous vote, the Massachusetts Teachers Association also called on Governor Baker to implement a mandatory mask requirement for all students and staff in all programs from pre-K through higher education.  

Direct link to SD 2723 ->   https://drive.google.com/file/d/1baXTWUCnszLjJP_N26OxlBkfj2oBP_jv/view?usp=sharing

Shared from Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BeccaRauschMA/status/1422302120989143040

Senator Rausch Files Universal Masking Bill For MA Schools

"Baker did acknowledge he is considering new mask rules for schools"

"Baker says Mass. is different as other states impose COVID-19 protocols" 

"Governor Charlie Baker said Wednesday that he sees no need for Massachusetts to reinstate restrictions in response to rising COVID-19 cases, striking a contrast with President Biden, who is urging Americans to mask up again and requiring many federal workers to get vaccinated. 

“Massachusetts is in a much better position than the vast majority of the states in this country with respect to how we deal with and how we’re prepared to deal with COVID,” Baker said, speaking at an environmental funding event. 

But Baker, who tussled with the state’s largest teachers unions over COVID-19 vaccination and safety measures, did say that he is considering mandating masks in public schools this fall."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/28/nation/baker-says-mass-is-different-other-states-impose-covid-19-protocols/ 

"Baker did acknowledge he is considering new mask rules for schools"

MA News: masks for students remains question; masks make sense in circumstances

"FOR MONTHS, there was hope that by the time children returned to school this fall, they could be vaccinated against COVID-19. But with approval of vaccines for children still months away, many public health experts believe students – particularly in elementary school – need to continue wearing masks inside school buildings. The topic is becoming a significant debate in Massachusetts, where the Baker administration has not yet imposed any statewide COVID-related precautions on schools this fall.  

“Masking in schools until we can ensure we’ve reached a critical mass of children [with vaccines] is almost a no-brainer,” said Vincent Chiang, chief medical officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, at a legislative hearing Monday. "

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/health/state-remains-mum-on-whether-school-mask-mandates-will-return/ 

"With COVID-19 cases beginning to rise again in Massachusetts, you may be wondering whether it’s still safe to go shopping, catch a movie, or do any other indoor activity without a mask.

If you’re fully vaccinated, you already have the best defense against falling ill with COVID-19, experts say. But wearing a mask could still go a long way to protect others and inhibit the spread of the virus.

Although breakthrough infections are happening, and were expected, it’s unvaccinated people who make up more than 97 percent of those hospitalized with COVID-19 across the country."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/26/metro/mask-up-if-you-want-vaccines-have-you-covered-covid-cases-rise-experts-say/ 

masks make sense in circumstances

CDC updates the K-12 Schools Guidance

"Vaccinated teachers and students don’t need to wear masks inside school buildings, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday in relaxing its COVID-19 guidelines.

The changes come amid a national vaccination campaign in which children as young as 12 are eligible to get shots, as well as a general decline in COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.

“We’re at a new point in the pandemic that we’re all really excited about,” and so it’s time to update the guidance, said Erin Sauber-Schatz, who leads the CDC task force that prepares recommendations designed to keep Americans safe from COVID-19."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/09/metro/vaccinated-teachers-students-dont-need-masks-cdc-says/

Direct link to the K-12 guidance released by the CDC

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-guidance.html

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/index.html

Board of Health Meeting Recap - Sep 16, 2020

The Board of Health met on Wednesday to review and revise the penalty order they had approved at their Sep 2 meeting. Feedback from Town Attorney Mark Cerel led to the revision. The revision was approved by a 3-0. As soon as the order is available, the link will be shared.

----

As with most meetings in this pandemic period, I took my notes via Twitter during the meeting reporting in real-time via the virtual session.
 
The Twitter hashtag can be found online #boh0916
https://twitter.com/hashtag/BoH0916?src=hashtag_click

• Real time reporting underway for Board of Health meeting #BoH0916
• Education is the primary tool, not wanting to use penalties - only as a last resort. They have been getting multiple requests from same place. #BoH0916 motion to withdraw motion on 9/02/20 on penalty provisions; passed 3-0 via roll call
• Motion for revision proposed for fine where social distance is not possible, second, passed 3-0 via roll call. Motion amended to be effective Thursday 9/17/20 end of day. Passed 3-0 via roll call. #BoH0916
• First cluster found in a business in Franklin. Regroup of the Board to review/revise penalty process as devised in prior meeting. #BoH0916 should it be considered to include parties for residential areas as well as business entities. Limit to face coverings as those as frequent
• Discussion on keeping meeting virtual as long as possible, many have high risk family members. Want to avoid unnecessary contact. #BoH0916 meetings are still functioning well in the remote mode. Meeting adjourned with roll call vote

Sep 2, 2020 - recap = https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/09/board-of-health-recap-sep-2-2020.html

 

Board of Health Meeting Recap - Sep 16, 2020