More than 2,000 parents voted, here’s how they feel about ending the school mask mandate
"ABOUT FREAKING TIME!!!!!!!"
Some Massachusetts students will learn without masks when they return from February vacation after Gov. Charlie Baker announced the state would lift the mask mandate in K-12 public schools beginning on Feb. 28.
When we asked parents what they thought about ending the mask mandate in schools on Feb. 28, more than 2,000 parents answered and voted overwhelmingly in favor of it: 80% of parents agreed with the decision, 16% disagreed, and 3% said it depends.
Mayor Michelle Wu announced that students and staff in Boston Public Schools will continue wearing masks after the state mask mandate ends on Feb. 28 and a statement from Boston Public Schools read, in part, “Masking has been and will continue to be a critical component of our health and safety protocols.”
“It is too soon,” wrote a Boston mother of an 8-year-old who did not provide her name. “Most children are not vaccinated and the only protocol still left to keep them safe are masks. I’m happy Boston is keeping the masks longer.”
Of the parents who disagree with lifting the mandate, several took issue with the timing of it.
“I would wait two weeks — till March 14,” wrote Michelle from Cambridge, the mother of a 16- and 17-year-old. “I think it is good to have a roadmap — but it is NOT a good idea to end the mask mandate the day students come back from a week long vacation. We know that there tend[s] to be more cases after vacation.”
Read more of what parents had to say about the issue below.
Responses lightly edited for length and clarity.
I agree with dropping the mask mandate
“So excited!” wrote Lynn S. of Middleborough, mother of a 9- and 11-year-old. “Let the kids breathe! Next is the rest of us!”
“ABOUT FREAKING TIME!!!!!!!” wrote Amelia from Southbridge, who did not provide the ages of her children.
“I feel relieved,” wrote Nicole from Avon, mother of a 2- and 5-year-old. “I plan to send my child back to public school next year as long as the mandate is not put back in place. Children should never be forced to mask for 6-8 hours each day.”
“It is beyond time,” wrote Meg M. from Milton. “Our children have sacrificed enough. My kids are 8 and 10, both fully vaccinated and both had COVID a month ago. They have paid their dues and it is time for their teachers and friends to be able to see their smiling faces.”
“It’s time,” wrote Benjamin of Waltham, father of a 6- and 8-year-old. “This pandemic has been most harmful to our children who are statistically at the lowest risk for severe illness, hospitalization, and death. This move is long overdue. My wife, children and I are overjoyed at the decision. We just hope our local school board follows suit.”
“Enough is enough!” wrote Anne from Worcester, mother of an 8-year-old. “Let the kids live a normal childhood.”
“I’ve been pro-mask all along, but at some point you need to make the call,” Alex from Melrose, father of an 8- and 10-year-old. “We are never going to be COVID-free, just like we’ll never be flu-free. It’s time to let children live their lives again.”
“I am a teacher at an affluent public (middle) school in the Western suburbs,” wrote Wilson P. of Holliston, parent of a 5- and 12-year-old. “The kids barely wear the mask anymore. Most if them are below the nose or on their chins. We have had close to zero cases of COVID for the past few weeks. It’s time to take them off.”
“It’s time!” wrote Michele from Newton, the mother of a 13- and 16-year-old. “People who are high risk (or live with a high risk individual) should continue to wear an N95 mask, but most students have low risk of severe COVID.”
“It took too long to lift,” wrote Andrea C., mother of a 9-, 10-, and 13-year-old in Lynnfield. “We are measuring COVID data…what about the impact to our children mentally, socially and emotionally?”
I disagree with dropping the mask mandate
“We are ALL tired of this pandemic but masking is the most simple thing we can do to curb the spread of the pandemic to children and families and can help get us through and beyond this pandemic,” wrote Jackie from Boston, mother of a 16- and 19-year-old. “And now students and families will travel — possibly around the country — for February break and then come back to school without masks. This will surely result in a rise in cases.”
“It is common sense to keep masks mandatory in schools,” wrote Michael C. of Sandwich, father of a 5-year-old. “COVID-19 has not gone away. The numbers of COVID-19 infections have been low in schools because children have been wearing masks. Masks deter spread of infection. It is simple science. My prediction, we will see COVID infections increase in our children once the mask mandate is lifted. Hope I am wrong for our kids’ sake.”
“This is horrible news which will put our younger generation at more risk!” wrote Emmie from Quincy, mother of children ages 2, 7, and 9. “How could you, Baker?!! Haven’t you heard safety comes first? I will continue to have my kids wear masks until this COVID situation gets better. As we know, the pandemic is not over yet.”
“Hospitals are still overwhelmed, COVID treatments are being rationed to high risk patients, and siblings under 5 are not yet vaccinated,” wrote Jessica G. of Arlington, mother of a 13-year-old. “We have a responsibility to our health care workers, high risk community, and youngest children. Returning from school vacation without masks completely disregards these communities. We won’t be sending our child back to school until mid-March after the school has had a chance to identify and manage a post school vacation spike.”
“I support mask optional for vaccinated staff and students,” wrote Bill G. from Belmont, father of an 8- and 10-year-old.
“Why not wait until windows can be opened in the spring to allow for more ventilation and far less transmission?” wrote Liz from Woburn, mother of a 15- and 18-year-old.
“Wearing a mask isn’t a big deal,” wrote John V. of Braintree. “I asked my 12-year-old what she thought and she responded, ‘Why wouldn’t I still wear it? It’s easy, and might keep someone from getting sick.’ Unfortunately, if we make masks optional, many of the people who will choose not to wear them are the same people who have chosen not to get vaccinated, and we’ll be right back into this mess soon enough. Let it ride out for the rest of the school year as is, since it seems to be working, and let’s see what the data shows in August for next year.”
“I want to be there,” wrote Julia F. of Hatfield, mother of a 7-year-old. “We are not there yet.”
It depends
“We have to be flexible and not have a blanket policy all on or off,” wrote Johnny from Middlesex, father of a 3-year-old. “The norm should be to mask and unmask as situations change.”
“It depends on how [the] high vaccination rate is in the community and how far apart desks are,” wrote an unnamed parent of an 11-year-old. “My child is too young to get a booster shot, so I’m concerned.”
“It’s not about how I feel — I’m a teacher and don’t love wearing a mask, but accept that they have kept us safe,” wrote Kerri L. of Somerville, mother of an 18- and 20-year-old. “What really matters is what science and the the data say.”
“The state isn’t ‘ending mask mandates,’ but returning control to local school districts,” wrote Amy S. of Winchendon, mother to kids ages 5, 7, and 9. “This way, if case counts or hospitalizations go up, a district can opt to require masks, while neighboring communities might be okay not doing so. It could be argued that the state never should have stepped in to impose the mandate, as most districts already had a rule in place. Now parents are confused and think it’s safe everywhere in Massachusetts to stop wearing masks in schools, and that simply is not true.”
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.
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