Tewksbury Parents Urge School Committee To End Elementary Masking

TEWKSBURY, MA — A group of Tewksbury parents urged the School Committee Wednesday to eliminate the elementary school mask mandate ahead of the 2021-2022 school year.

The parents spoke during the public comment period of Wednesday's meeting, arguing the mandate is unnecessary and harmful to children, as first reported by the Lowell Sun.

The most recent Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guidance requires all schools and districts to be in-person, full-time, five days a week next year. All department health and safety requirements will be lifted, including physical distancing.

But the department expects to issue recommendations over the summer on masking for elementary school students, who are not currently eligible to get vaccinated.

Parents noted that elementary-aged children can already go maskless in public in a variety of settings.

The committee has not announced any policy on masking next school year.

>>Read more from the Lowell Sun.

The full meeting is available here from TewksburyTV.