Massachusetts is preparing to introduce a mask mandate for the state’s public schools as early as Wednesday, in a turning point for Governor Charlie Baker, who has vocally advocated local scrutiny of school masking policies.
Mr. Baker, a Republican in a very Democratic state, had come under pressure to make masks mandatory in schools, and a poll released last week suggested 81 percent of Massachusetts voters support the idea.
The state education board voted 9 to 1 on Tuesday to give the education commissioner, Jeffrey Riley, the power to issue a mandate. Mr. Riley is expected to issue the mandate this week, setting uniform requirements ahead of school openings.
Massachusetts has not joined the list of states — including New Jersey, Oregon and Washington — that require teachers to get the vaccine. According to a NewsMadura data tracker, 75 percent of Massachusetts’s population has received at least one dose, a higher rate than any state except Vermont.
Under the current plan, nearly all public school students over the age of 5, regardless of vaccination status, are expected to wear masks in Massachusetts school buildings until at least October, when state officials allow individual schools to lift the mandate as long as 80 percent of employees and students are vaccinated. Unvaccinated people should continue to wear masks.
Merrie Najimy, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, called the vote “an important step forward in keeping our communities safe.” The union, the largest in the state, voted on Aug. 1 for a mask mandate in schools.
