SOUTH EASTON — The Southeastern Regional School Committee announces that a special school committee meeting will be held next month regarding masking inside district buildings.
Today, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Commissioner Jeffrey Riley announced that the statewide school mask mandate will not be renewed after it expires Monday, Feb. 28. The decision was made after consulting with medical experts and state health officials, and considering high vaccination rates and widespread availability of COVID-19 testing for school staff and students.
As a result, masking in school buildings will revert back to a local policy decision to be made by individual school committees.
The Southeastern Regional School Committee will hold a special school committee meeting regarding masking in district buildings on Tuesday, March 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Southeastern Performing Arts Center, 250 Foundry St., South Easton.
The first 30 minutes of the meeting will be open for public comment on masking. The school committee will discuss following the public comment period.
Anyone who wishes to speak on the matter is encouraged to attend the March 1 meeting. Alternatively, community members can provide written testimony on the topic by sending email correspondence to dcabral@sersd.org before 3 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25. All comments received by the deadline will be shared publicly on the School Committee Agenda.
Following the discussion on masks, the school committee will continue with the scheduled Public Budget Hearing and Superintendent Lou Lopes will present the Proposed Fiscal Year 2023 District Budget.
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