Boston Public Schools Announces Post Christmas Break “Temporary” Mask Mandate

One of the most populous school districts in the country made waves Friday: Announcement of a “temporary masking” Period for staff and students upon their return to school at the conclusion of the winter break.

This letter from Mary Skipper, BPS president, to parents is a clear indicator of the political toxicity of such a measure. Although it was sent in deep blue Boston by Mary Skipper, she studiously avoided calling the policy “a mandate” and actually stated that it was. “not a mandate.” The letter also stated, “No one will be disciplined or sent home if they refuse to wear a mask.”

Skipper justified the WBZ policy with the statement that there had been an a “significant increase in pediatric hospitalizations” because of the combined effects of RSV and COVID as well as the flu in this area. She did not cite any scientific evidence suggesting that masking could be an effective way to combat these diseases.

Despite the fact that BPS employees were mentioned in the letter, “asked and expected to begin masking” On their return to school Jan. 3, the letter stated that even district employees were not allowed to return to school. Not being ordered to cover, and further stated this “temporary masking period” It would only last 8 school-days.

Many liberals have been calling for the return of unpopular masking mandates that have not been proven effective in the face of an increasing number COVID cases. But, both city and state governments and school boards have generally ignored these calls. New Jersey’s two school districts did. announce earlier this week They would enforce mask mandates upon return to school following the winter break.

Although COVID-19 cases saw a slight increase in the last week, there has been no significant change in the overall trend. CDC reports Weekly new case numbers are still below 500,000. This is a small number compared to the previous surges that saw weekly cases totals exceeding 5 million in some instances. Since March, the COVID death numbers have been below 5,000 per semaine. This is consistent with previous surges that saw more than 5 million cases. They do not seem to be increasing in tandem with the current case count. Although hospitalizations have increased slightly, they still represent less than 25% of what was seen in the Omicron surge in January 2022.