Somerville Sets Mask Mandate For Upcoming School Year

SOMERVILLE, MA — All students and staff will be required to wear masks in Somerville schools this fall, regardless of vaccination status, Superintendent Mary Skipper said Aug. 12.

Somerville will not offer remote learning options for the 2021-22 school year, based on guidance from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Skipper said. The district is emphasizing the importance of getting vaccinated and will start the year with physical distancing, handwashing, testing and ventilation procedures.

The School Committee has been asked to approve measures requiring proof of vaccination from staff, people providing services in school buildings and participants in non-academic extracurricular activities, including athletics. The deadline to get fully vaccinated would be Oct. 1.

Any staff member or service provider who does not show proof of vaccination would have to submit to routine COVID-19 testing and wear a KN95, or equivalent high-grade surgical, mask inside school buildings.

The Somerville Public Schools will also provide weekly PCR pool testing for all educators, staff and students. Rapid antigen testing will be offered on-site as well for people who develop symptoms during the day, Skipper said.