The Mount Greylock Regional School District is relaxing its masking recommendations.
In an email last week to the district community, Superintendent Jake McCandless said the move follows low numbers on COVID-19 infections. “Absences from school and the prevalence of COVID-19 within our school community have declined this week, which is wonderful!” he wrote.
“Our original recommendation that all community members wear a mask is expiring today, and we are not renewing that call for action,” McCandless said.
The district oversees elementary schools in Williamstown and Lanesborough and the Mount Greylock Regional School in Williamstown.
McCandless told The Eagle that two weeks ago, the district sent a message home to families recommending the use of masks “due to school and community/regional spread of covid-19, flu, and RSV. We did so after conferring with health authorities in the community.”
McCandless noted that the district only issued a recommendation. Anyone is welcome to still wear a mask if they would like.
“We also continue to follow state guidelines around masking upon return after actually having COVID,” McCandless said.
The district still asks that families monitor for COVID-19 symptoms and still requires that students and staff who test positive stay home and isolate for at least five days. It also still requires that students and staff who’ve been exposed to COVID-19 wear a mask indoors for 10 days following their exposure.
“We continue our collaboration with state and local experts and will be in touch if our local situation or the state’s recommendations change in the future,” McCandless wrote to the email.