WESTPORT — Staff and students, including preschool, will no longer have to wear masks at school when they return from February vacation, Superintendent Thomas Scarice announced.
First Selectwoman Jennifer Tooker also announced announced Westport will become a mask optional community effective Feb. 28, adding the date was chosen to align with the state and school officials’ decisions.
Masks may still be required in other locations outside of town buildings, such as healthcare facilities, facilities housing vulnerable populations, public and private transit and correctional facilities.
“I am very proud to be leading this resilient community,” Tooker said. “Since early 2020, we have all had to navigate the many phases of COVID. Being mask optional is an encouraging development in yet another phase that we will navigate together.”
Scarice gave his recommendation to the school board at a special meeting this week, though the board won’t actually adopt the new policy until its next meeting on Feb. 28, the day the state mask mandate expires and the district switches to mask choice.
Masks must still be worn on school buses, which follow federal guidelines.
“Although the binding guidance and rules for the operation of schools and childcare settings has yet to be released, it is clear that this mask mandate will be eliminated for school districts, permitting local school systems to develop their own policies and regulations regarding the use of masks,” Scarice said in his email to families.
The guidance and rules will come from the state commissioners of education and early childhood, in consultation with the commissioner of public health. Those departments are also able to extend or reinstate the mask mandate through June 30.
“Students, their families, and anyone on our WPS team may choose to continue to wear a mask, commonly referred to as ‘one-way’ masking,” Scarice said. “‘One-way’ masking works and provides protection for an individual.”
He said the district won’t be able to track and enforce one-way masking though if parents want their child to continue wearing one.
Scarice said he’s making his mask choice recommendation, which the board supports, because the state will no longer require the mask mandate, which he said shows it’s not a needed public health intervention at this time.
Infection and vaccination rates were also factors.
“The prevalence rate is bottoming out, and possibly reaching a level that could be expected to be our new normal,” Scarice said.
Westport reported a positivity rate of 30.1 cases per 100,000 people with 120 cases reported from Jan. 30 to Feb. 12, according to state data.
“Westport is among the highest vaccinated communities in the state, providing strong support against health complications as a result of contracting the virus,” Scarice said. “In addition, the widespread infection rate of the Omicron variant also provided significant levels of natural immunity to our community. Furthermore, this most recent virus strain appears to be less virulent than earlier variants, such as Delta.”
Westport’s overall vaccination rate is 94.05 percent, with 59.51 percent of the 5-11 age group fully vaccinated and 96.45 percent of the 12-17 age group fully vaccinated, according to state data.
Scarice said mask wearing habits have also changed and many people no longer wear masks outside of school settings like they were before.
“For our students now, school is one of the few locations where masks are regularly worn and mandated,” he said. “Additionally, the fidelity of proper mask wearing has waned significantly over the past few months according to faculty and building administrators, particularly at the secondary level. Mask quality has also been called into question during the Omicron surge.”
While masks will no longer be required, the district is still keeping other mitigating measures. This includes ventilation, social distancing and hand hygiene. The weekly testing will also continue through the end of March.
The state is expected to give more guidance on quarantine procedures and contact tracing.
Scarice said the district will continue to adjust mitigating measures as needed, adding the current metrics “have many flaws.” He cautioned universal masking could return.
“Daily case rates and positivity rates are less accurate due to the proliferation of home test kits that are not reported to local health districts, and vaccination rates are questionable as a result of increased breakthrough cases with Omicron and the lack of consideration for natural immunity due to infection,” he said. “That said, our local and school community case rates are helpful in monitoring trends.”
The state is also no longer requiring proof of vaccination or weekly testing for those unvaccinated and working in schools. This means visitors will also no longer need to show proof of vaccination or a negative test.
Scarice said some people raised concerns about a potential spike in infections after vacation with people not wearing masks after traveling.
“I do not see the recent winter break as an appropriate comparison since that surge was driven by the Omicron variant,” he said. “However, we did experience a number of families traveling during the Thanksgiving break and did not experience an increase in infection rates.”
He added keeping the mask mandate after break would likely have minimal impact because students are generally not wearing masks outside of school.
Scarice said the district’s mental health and administrative team have prepared for the transition to mask choice.
While staff have information to discuss the move when students return Feb. 28, Scarice said it would be helpful for parents to speak with their children about it before then.
“Preparing for change by engaging in a conversation and allowing your child to ask questions can reduce any stress and anxiety,” he said. “For some students, they may be eager to remove their mask and return to some sense of normalcy. For others, this change can create anxiety for a variety of reasons, including health concerns and fears about being judged for wearing or not wearing a mask.”
He said students will be reminded that families are making the decision best for them. He said children should feel comfortable wearing or not wearing a mask, and it’s alright if a friend is doing something different.
“The district team is committed to supporting the personal choice of each individual student and staff member, and to protecting everyone in our school community from unwelcome comments and behaviors,” Scarice said. “Lack of respect or inappropriate comments or behaviors will not be tolerated as families consider what is best for their child and family.”
He said students and families should let teachers or their building principal know if others make the child feel uncomfortable about their choice. School psychologists, counselors, and social workers are available to support students if needed.
“Navigating this transition in school is new for everyone, and we will need to work together to support our children through this new experience,” Scarice said.
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