Melrose Schools Dropping Masks Effective Immediately

MELROSE, MA — Masks will be optional in Melrose Public Schools effective Wednesday, signaling the end of mandatory face coverings in class.

The unanimous decision came at the urging of Superintendent Julie Kukenberger, who, along with Health Director Anthony Chui, just three weeks earlier recommended extending the mask mandate to March 21.

But on Tuesday, Kukenberger said it was time for an immediate end to what was becoming an increasingly divisive policy.

The vote was met with applause from a large, mostly maskless City Hall crowd — another sign the community was entering a new stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We're thrilled that we're going to be going maskless tomorrow," School Committee member Jen Razi-Thomas said. "At least I am."

The mask policy is rescinded at all schools, including the Franklin, which has younger students ineligible for vaccination. Masks will still be required in nurses' offices.

The state's mask mandate ended Feb. 28, but most districts still needed to rescind their own before going mask-optional.

It's unclear what exactly spurred the turnaround from three weeks ago, though in a letter to the school community last week Kukenberger cited updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Kukenberger on Tuesday also cited lower case counts, high vaccination rates and continued mitigation measures as to why the district is going mask-optional.

"I am delighted to report that our case count has remained significantly lower than it has been in the past several months," she said.

Kukenberger also said cases were low coming out of February break. Still, part of the reason the School Committee initially extended the mandate to March 21 was to see whether cases would increase 2-3 weeks after the time away, which had been typical throughout the pandemic.

"We're trying to build in a schedule that's both evidence-based and tolerable by the community," Kukenberger said Feb. 15.

If those in attendance were indicative of the community, that tolerance may have been starting to wane.

Residents who spoke against the mask mandate were given applause. One woman, who said she rushed to City Hall to speak against the mandate after being unable to work out the web option, had her microphone cut as she tried to speak after public comment was closed.

Chair Jen McAndrew called for a brief recess of the meeting before it carried on without incident.

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