Blackstone-Millville committee rescinds districtwide indoor mask mandate, keeps masks on buses and in health offices

The Blackstone-Millville Regional School Committee voted Feb. 10 to rescind its local indoor mask mandate effective Feb. 28, 2022, while preserving several exceptions and health-focused requirements.

Superintendent Jason Defalco said the recommendation follows a state press conference indicating the commonwealth would not extend the statewide school mask mandate beyond Feb. 28 and that local superintendents met to coordinate a uniform approach. "What we are recommending is that we go pre-K through 12 mask optional," Defalco said, while stressing that local guidance includes required exceptions.

Under the committee’s approved motion, masks must remain on all school buses (a federal requirement), and students must wear masks when visiting school health offices because those spaces are treated as medical facilities. The committee also kept in place mask requirements for individuals returning from a confirmed positive COVID-19 case for days six through ten after isolation, and for unvaccinated non-school close contacts in the same period. Symptomatic individuals must wear a mask until their symptoms fully resolve.

Karen, who presented the district’s COVID numbers, said January totaled 309 cases and the district was averaging fewer daily cases in February, but that local positivity remained about double the state rate. The committee discussed practical enforcement; staff emphasized reliance on family responsibility and nurse evaluation rather than punitive measures. "If there’s a student who’s not feeling well they go to the nurse — they have to put a mask on to see the nurse anyhow," Defalco said.

Committee members asked for clarity on effective dates and how symptom-based masking would be monitored. The superintendent clarified the state mandate expires Feb. 28 and the district’s change would be effective the same day. Several members warned that case counts often rise after vacation breaks and urged families to make cautious choices for household safety.

The motion passed on a voice vote; the committee did not record a roll-call tally in the minutes. The district posted testing and vaccination data and encouraged families to opt in to at-home testing before students return from break.