Cohasset Drops Mask Mandate For Unvaccinated Students, Teachers

COHASSET, MA — Unvaccinated students and staff at the Cohasset high and middle schools can now continue their school year maskless with their vaccinated classmates and teachers after a change in policy came into play for Massachusetts schools with more than an 80% vaccination rate.

Of the three schools on the South Shore that have removed the mask mandate, Cohasset is the only district to relax the rules for both unvaccinated middle and high school students after a vote from the school committee on Jan. 19.

On Jan. 10, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education gave guidance to school districts who have opted to remove the mask mandate saying it is still "highly recommended that unvaccinated students and staff continue wearing masks," but it is no longer required.

However, a public school mask requirement set to expire on Jan. 15 for all other schools will remain in play until at least Feb. 28, 2022.

More coverage: Mask Mandate Extended For Public Schools Through February

The mask mandate was first implemented in August, requiring all students and staff agest 5 and older to wear masks indoors. A policy change later allowed schools that have reached more than an 80% vaccination rate to vote on removing the mandate if approved by the DESE.

Norwell was one of the first districts to reach the 80% vaccination rate in the fall but reinstated a mask mandate after a recent surge in cases following winter break, Superintendent Matthew Keegan said in an email to the district.

In October, Hopkinton High School became the first school to lift the mask mandate but quickly had to reinstate it around the Thanksgiving holiday when cases first began to skyrocket.

A spokesperson at Cohasset High School says the school has no plans to change the relaxed status for its unvaccinated middle and high school students as long as the vaccination rate remains over 80%, and "provided the DESE doesn't change policies again."

Despite being free around the school, students and staff must still wear masks in the nurse's office and on school buses.