Malden Schools' Mask Policy Unchanged Amid State Announcement

MALDEN, MA — The Malden Public Schools' masking policy will remain in place for at least the near future.

Despite the statewide mandate expiring at the end of the month, the district will continue to follow its own masking policy, which was approved by the school committee, Superintendent Ligia Noriega-Murphy said Wednesday.

"For the meantime, until the school committee votes otherwise, we will continue to wear masks inside the school buildings.," she wrote in a message to families.

Gov. Charlie Baker and DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley said Wednesday the mask order for students and staff will not be extended a fourth time because of high vaccination rates across the state, rapidly dropping coronavirus cases and hospitalizations from the winter omicron surge, and out of a desire to return to "the familiar and normal aspects of school life" nearly two years after the onset of the COVID-19 crisis.

Starting Feb. 28, individual districts will have the choice to make masks optional or continue to mandate them for indoor spaces.

Under current DESE guidelines that will expire on Feb. 27, schools need to have at least an 80 percent vaccination rate among students and staff to request a state waiver to go mask-optional. Under the new guidelines, all students and staff will have the option to mask regardless of school vaccination rate and individual vaccination status.

In Malden, 53 percent of residents between the ages of 5 and 19 are fully vaccinated, according to data from the state.