Most MA Schools Won't Be Able To Lift Mask Mandates: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Wednesday, Sept. 29. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• More details about July's I-95 standoff between members of the Rise of the Moors group and police leaked out during the latest bizarre court proceedings involving those arrested that day.
• The National Transportation Safety Board released its report on a Sept. 2 Connecticut plane crash that killed a Massachusetts couple and two pilots.
• A book coming out next month sheds new light on Patriots Coach Bill Belichick's controversial decision to bench Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII.

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story: Schools And Mask Mandates

Most Massachusetts school districts will have the option to apply for waivers to the state mask mandate beginning next month. But most Massachusetts students will continue to wear masks for the foreseeable future, either because their school hasn't met the 80 percent vaccination threshold to apply for the waiver or because of local concerns over rising COVID-19 cases.

The Department of Elementary and Second Education released updated guidance on mask polices Monday, and superintendents have been scrambling to assess the new rules ever since. In addition to extending the school mask mandate from Oct. 1 to Oct. 30, school districts will have the option of lifting mask requirements beginning Oct. 15 for students, faculty and staff in schools with 80 percent vaccination rates.

Melrose Superintendent Julie Kukenberger said her district isn't even going to try to get a waiver from the state rules requiring masks. While 80 percent of staff have been vaccinated, Melrose has already had 30 confirmed COVID-19 cases among students and school employees since the start of the school year. That's leading the district to err on the side of caution.

Also on Patch: Coronavirus Turns Salem Haunted Happenings Grand Parade Turns Into Wicked Walkabout

"At this time, with our numbers in the Melrose Public Schools looking the way they do, this isn't something I would recommend" to the school committee, Kukenberger said.

Peabody School Committee member Jarrod Hochman blasted the new guidance, calling it a "red herring" and warning parents students will likely be wearing masks through the end of the school year. "When we get the data, we're going to see that staff members in each building are probably below 80 percent. There are staff members who chose not to get vaccinated," Hochman said.

Peabody Health Director Sharon Cameron said only 57 percent of city residents ages 12 to 15 and 67 percent of residents ages. That's posing a similar problem in nearby Beverly, where only 56 percent of city residents ages 16 through 19 had at least one dose of vaccine. "We're not really close to the 80 percent," Beverly Superintendent Sue Charochak said.

Several other districts, including Braintree and Wilmington, are just beginning to assess options under the new rules. Those two districts will not begin public discussions on the new rules until school committee meetings scheduled for next month.

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Wednesday's Other Top Stories

Standoff suspects back in court: More details about July's I-95 standoff between members of the Rise of the Moors group and police leaked out during the latest bizarre court proceedings involving those arrested that day. A prosecutor said one of the men told another during the highway confrontation with police, "You're a sniper, so get your sniper and go to the front of the van." Another man was accused of telling police the incident would have turned out differently had the group called in backup.

NTSB releases report on CT plane crash that killed MA couple: The National Transportation Safety Board released its report on a Sept. 2 Connecticut plane crash that killed a Massachusetts couple and two pilots. Witnesses told investigators that the airplane was going slower than they had seen during previous takeoffs and there was a puff of blue smoke from the backside of the airplane. One witness said the jet hit a power line, which caused a small explosion near the engine before the plane fell behind trees. Also on Patch: NTSB releases report on Cape Cod plane crash.

Duxbury man accused of killing father indicted: A Plymouth County grand jury returned an indictment Friday charging Jack Callahan, 19, with one count of murder in the death of his father, Scott Callahan, 57. Jack Callahan is accused of drowning his father in a Duxbury pond this summer. Prosecutors say the younger Callahan dunked his father into the water repeatedly while performing what he called a baptism and exorcism.

The 2021 Boston Marathon is Oct. 11. Read the latest on Patch's 2021 Boston Marathon hub.

Picture This: Mass Pike Crash

A tractor-trailer overturned on the Mass Pike in Westborough Wednesday morning, causing big backups and severe injuries. A LifeFlight helicopter was sent to the scene, but other details were not immediately available.

They Said It

"This was an unfortunate event that occurred on one of the Salem Public Schools-owned buses last week. In meeting with the family, we let them know that our investigation revealed that the child was not strapped in correctly for their ride to school. Retraining is occurring for staff responsible for ensuring that all of our students are properly prepared to ride the bus."

• Salem Public Schools in a statement to Patch. A teen girl was injured last week when her wheelchair tipped over on a bus on the way to school.

In Case You Missed It

Book explains why Malcolm Butler was benched in Super Bowl LII: A new book diving into the latter part of the Patriots dynasty revealed a deteriorating relationship between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady while shedding light on Belichick's controversial decision to bench Malcolm Butler in Super Bowl LII. "It's Better To Be Feared" by ESPN's Seth Wickershamis set for an Oct. 12 release. But the juiciest parts of the book were hinted at in an ESPN story Wednesday, just days before Brady returns to Foxborough to play the Patriots on "Sunday Night Football."