Wilmington School Mask Mandate Remains In Place, For Now

WILMINGTON, MA — Wilmington's school mask mandate remains in place and would have to be rescinded for the district to join the state in lifting the mask requirement Feb. 28, a district official confirmed.

The Wilmington School Committee opted in August to leave in place the mask policy from last year, a decision that has not been revisited since the state put in place a mandate.

Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday that the mandate will end Feb. 28, leaving districts to decide their own mask policies. Some districts had already received waivers for certain schools that had reached 80 percent vaccination, but Wilmington is not one of them.

The School Committee is next due to meet Feb. 16.

Wilmington residents 5 to 19 are 60 percent vaccinated. Fifteen percent of them have received a booster shot.

In response to a Facebook question, Wilmington Patch readers gave a range of responses on whether to lift the district's mandate, but most were in favor of ending the mandate. One reader suggested that masking remain in place at schools with younger students who are not yet be eligible for vaccinations. Others said masking should be up to individual parents or be abolished entirely.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.