Board of Education Unanimously Votes for Optional Masking
By Saber Hanington
The Augusta Board of Education unanimously voted to immediately end universal masking in Augusta schools on March 2. All students and staff will be allowed to choose whether they wear a mask or not starting on March 3.
For the past two years, since March 2020, the board has followed recommendations by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Superintendent James Anastasio said that the CDC guidelines have been “our North Star” in making all decisions pertaining to COVID-19.
The CDC updated its guidance on Feb. 25 and released a rubric for rating infection for each county in the state as high, medium or low risk. The CDC calls this rating system “Community Levels.” Only three counties in Maine were rated "low risk," including Kennebec County.
“I think it's time to make masks optional. I think the sooner the better," said Anastasio, who does not get a vote on the Board of Education.
The Board of Education conducted a survey of staff, students and families to gather their views on continuing an in-school universal masking policy or to end it. The board released the results, which showed wide support for ending the mask mandate..
The poll showed universal masking was opposed by:
65.9% of staff,
72.9% of students,
81% of families.
Around 14% of students and families voted in support of keeping the mask mandate. And approximately 20% of staff were in support of keeping masks, the poll also showed. Some of each group were undecided and voted "maybe." The survey possibly allowed people to vote multiple times, however.
Four members of the public also spoke against the existing mask mandate. These included three parents and Cony Senior Grace Kirk.
“I can no longer sacrifice more of my teenage years,” said Kirk. Students have missed assemblies, dances and pep rallies because of the pandemic, she added.
Andy Madore, a parent of a Cony student, said “Things are being done out of feel good, not science. Science and numbers can be twisted to what you want."
Administrators were also given the opportunity to speak to the board. Cony High School and Middle School Principal Kim Silsby asked the board to immediately end the mandate if that was the path they were going to decide to take..
"I don't know what we’re going to do tomorrow if kids walk in with no masks tomorrow," said Silsby, and cautioned that “it would cause too much negativity tomorrow if it was not immediate."
After a discussion, all seven board members agreed with the surveys and unanimously voted for the immediate end to universal masking in all Augusta schools. Many school districts have voted for optional masking since the new guidelines were released, including RSU 38, MSAD 53, MSAS 11, and RSU 18, among others, Anastasio said.
Mask wearing and enforcement has been a point of conflict this school year. Approximately 85% of disciplinary issues at Cony start with problems with enforcing mask wearing, Anastasio said.
Cony Student Representative to the Board of Education, Kristin Merril speculated that there “will have a higher spike in dispensary effects” if the mandate is not lifted immediately, expressing worry for her peers.