Springfield School Committee Vice Chair Predicts Tighter Mask Restrictions In Fall

A member of the school committee in Springfield, Massachusetts, said he thinks he and his colleagues will vote for a stricter approach to mask-wearing than new guidance provided by the state.

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced late last week that when school resumes, it strongly recommends students in grades K through six wear masks inside — except those who can't do so for medical or behavioral reasons.

And it said vaccinated students should be allowed to go without masks.

But local districts can be more restrictive.

Christopher Collins, the vice chair of the Springfield School Committee, said that's the path he'd be in favor of, in part because of a recent discovery about COVID-19.

"A vaccinated person right now can be carrying carrying the delta variant, and can transmit it to these unvaccinated people," Collins said. "That's probably going to sway my opinion as to who should be masked within the buildings or not."

Collins said his take is also driven by low vaccination rates in the city.

He expects the school committee will hold a special meeting in the next few weeks to discuss the issue.