Today the Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, Jeffrey Riley, announced that he will not renew the state mask mandate after it expires on February 28, 2022 (LINK) to Memorandum. After that time, mask mandates will be at the discretion of local municipalities. In Sudbury, the Mask Mandate will become a Mask Advisory meaning that local entities may determine whether masks are required in indoor spaces on March 6th.
Beginning March 7, 2022, Sudbury Public Schools will no longer require masks to be worn by students, staff, or visitors while in its buildings. However, please note that masks will continue to be required on school buses, per federal order. Individuals choosing to mask or choosing to have their children mask, will be supported in that choice. DESE and DPH strongly recommend that unvaccinated individuals continue to mask in school settings.
Sudbury Public Schools will continue with COVID mitigation strategies including:
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Weekly pool and at-home rapid response testing for those who elect to participate;
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Lab grade filters in ventilation systems;
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Hand hygiene routines;
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Symptomatic testing.
Staff and families will continue to be notified if there is a positive COVID case in their classroom. However, school and district data will be disseminated solely through the district’s COVID dashboard. The dashboard includes a daily display of cases that is updated in real time.
DESE has also approved the distribution of the at-home test kits in students’ backpacks. Beginning February 17th, we will no longer mail home test kits and ask families to re-designate the distribution method by following this link. Families will be able to choose between the Thursday morning pickup or having their student bring the kits home. Families, please note that in order to receive an at-home test kit for your child(ren) you must fill out the form linked at above even if you gave prior permission. As a reminder, if a student tests positive for COVID using the at-home test, please let us know by filling out the “Positive Test Result” form.
We welcome the easing of COVID mandates and are looking forward to seeing smiling faces in school. That said, we also remain committed to the safety of all and will carefully monitor public health data and follow the lead of our state and local health officials.
Sincerely,
Brad Crozier,
Superintendent
