The Greenwich Board of Education voted 8-0 tonight to make masks in town public schools optional for everyone as of March 1. The state mandate requiring masks in schools will expire on Feb. 28, which means that school districts will be allowed to set their own policy. Students must continue to wear masks on buses, however, due to an ongoing federal mandate.
The overall COVID updates have been positive. There are just 4 people at Greenwich Hospital with COVID and none of those are in the ICU. In the entire state, there were 340 people hospitalized with COVID as of Wednesday, down 45 from the previous day. Of the 340 people who are hospitalized, 183 people were fully vaccinated and 157 people are unvaccinated. Approximately 54% of those hospitalized have received the full dose of a COVID vaccine; 46% have not been vaccinated.
Board of Education members overwhelmingly supported the lifting of the mandate as did Superintendent of Schools Toni Jones.
“I think we’re at the point where the educational needs of our students need to be addressed, and those can only be done so with moving forward and taking the masks off,” said board member Karen Kowalski.
Cody Kittle said bullying by peers could “do damage to the cause of mask choice if people aren’t respectful of the freedom everyone exercises in making their own choices.”
Board of Education Chair Kathleen Stowe said she appreciates all the things Gov. Lamont and First Selectman Fred Camillo did. “I think the leadership at the state and the town level has allowed us to manage a difficult health situation,” she said. “Hopefully this is a path back to normal.”
