SEYMOUR – Beginning Feb. 28, masks are optional within Seymour Public Schools.
That’s the decision members of the Seymour Board of Education made during a meeting Wednesday (Feb. 23). The vote was six 6 – 1‑1 in favor of making masks optional. Click play on the video above to watch the meeting.
Students and staff have been wearing masks as protection against COVID-19.
In Ansonia, Superintendent of Schools Joseph DiBacco sent parents a letter this week announcing a mask-optional choice for students and staff.
In Derby, Superintendent of Schools Matthew Conway said results of a parent survey are being finalized before a final call is made. Derby Board of Education Chairman Jim Gildea said board members discussed the issue at its last meeting “and it certainly appears as if we are leaning towards parental choice.” UPDATE: Derby schools sent an email Thursday evening. It said:
K‑12 Beginning Monday February 28, 2022 universal mask wearing will no longer be mandated in grades K‑12 while in schools.
Mask wearing is still required boarding and while on all buses (UPDATE: The feds made this optional as of Friday, Feb. 25, 2022). Based on an Order issued by the CDC mask wearing is still mandated on buses. All individuals riding a school bus must continue to board the bus wearing a mask. This order has been extended through March 18, 2022 at this time.
Everyone has the choice to wear a mask.
PreK Given no children in PreK can be vaccinated and per recommendation from OEC, children attending Little Raiders University will continue to wear masks until further notice and additional guidance is received from the Office of Early Childhood and or CDC.
The changes in COVID era mask wearing can be confusing, The Connecticut Post reported Feb. 23.
Mask wearing is still required on school buses and all public transportation, as required by the federal government. (UPDATE: The feds made this optional as of Friday, Feb. 25, 2022) That includes bus transportation for athletic or extracurricular events. (UPDATE: The feds made this optional as of Friday, Feb. 25, 2022)
Seymour school board member Kristen Harmeling cast the sole dissenting vote. Board member Stephan Behuniak abstained. Harmeling said she would’ve preferred the board wait until the weather got a little warmer before allowing masks to come off.
Behuniak said the vote was a waste of time because the board didn’t need to hold a meeting or vote. Members could have taken no action and mask wearing would have become automatically optional as of Feb. 28.
Gov. Ned Lamont earlier this month announced the state mandate on masks would be lifted effective Feb. 28. He left the decision to local school districts.
Prior to the board’s vote, there were several parents and students in attendance at the meeting who spoke passionately about unmasking kids and giving parents the choice to decide what’s best for their kids.
Superintendent Susan Compton noted a local parent survey found 71 percent favored a mask-optional choice, which helped with the decision, along with a decline in COVID-19 cases, and the school district’s physician supporting mask choice, as well.
“The number of COVID cases has dropped consistently over the past four weeks and this trend is expected to continue, which is wonderful news,” Compton said. The letter from the central office is posted as an image below.
