BOSTON, MA - DESE and DPH issued a joint memo with COVID information for the upcoming school year aligned with the new CDC guidance released last week. This upcoming school year, districts and schools should focus their COVID mitigation strategies towards vulnerable and symptomatic individuals, while minimizing the need for more restrictive districtwide COVID policies.
The Commonwealth is not recommending universal mask requirements, surveillance testing of asymptomatic individuals, contact tracing, or test-to-stay testing in schools. Districts and schools are reminded that there is no longer any statewide masking mandate in schools - other than school health offices - and there is no testing requirement for schools.
As always, any individual who wishes to continue to mask, including those who face higher risk from COVID19, should be supported in that choice. We concluded our statewide testing program in the spring and have provided schools and districts with information about how they can purchase face masks and testing kits, if they choose to do so. DESE will continue to support school districts throughout the year with our Rapid Response Call-in Center with any questions or concerns.