Malden Lifts School Mask Mandate Effective Immediately

MALDEN, MA — Mandatory masks are done at Malden Public Schools.

The School Committee voted, 7-2, to rescind the mask requirement, effective immediately. Students and staff can wear masks if they choose, but as of Tuesday morning are not required to.

The decision was made after residents and School Committee members appeared split on whether it's time to end the policy. While most people were ready to do away with them, there were concerns about the district's youngest unvaccinated students, as well those who will continue to wear masks being potentially ostracized.

The city's Health Department recommended the district rescind the mask policy, keeping in line with state and federal guidelines.

Mayor Gary Christenson had told the community last month that the policy was likely to stay in effect until March 14 at the earliest, but the drop in cases coupled with high vaccination rates expedited that.

The state's mask mandate for public schools ended Feb. 28, but the district was still bound by its own policy.

The city already lifted its mask mandate early last month.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Malden Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.