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MA Education Commissioner Asks For Mask Mandate Until Oct 1

By TWIW Staff | August 20, 2021
Last Updated: August 20, 2021

Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley will ask the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to grant him the authority to mandate masks for all public K-12 students, educators, and staff through October 1.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education [ESE] says the request intends to enable schools to reopen safely and to provide time for more students and educators to get vaccinated. After October 1, Riley’s policy would enable middle and high schools to lift the mask mandate for vaccinated students and staff only if at least 80 percent of students and staff in a school building are vaccinated.

The mandate would include exceptions for students who cannot wear a mask because of medical conditions or behavioral needs and only apply to children 5 and older. The Commissioner will revisit the mandate to revise it as warranted by public health data.

Riley hopes the policy will encourage higher vaccination rates among students and staff. He also seeks a uniform policy for all schools to begin the year.

Riley asked the board to meet on Tuesday, August 24, to vote to give him this authority to institute the mask mandate.

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