What you need to know about Mass. schools mask mandate exemption vaccination threshold

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently extended its statewide mask mandate for public schools until Nov. 1, but masks may be optional sooner in schools with vaccination rates of 80% or higher.

“The department will continue to work with medical advisers to explore other metrics to inform further off ramps for masks,” DESE wrote in its announcement.

DESE has announced guidance for schools on the mask mandate, and as of Oct. 15 (pushed back from Oct. 1) exceptions can be made for schools with high vaccination rates. Here’s a rundown:

• Exemptions will be granted to individual schools rather than whole districts.
• A school with 80% or more of its students, faculty and staff can drop its mask mandate  for those who are vaccinated starting Oct. 15.
• School vaccination rates are monitored via attestation forms to DESE.
• Once the threshold is reached, the district can decide whether to drop its mask mandate. Dropping the mask mandate is not automatic.
• Unvaccinated students will still be required to wear masks.

The 80% vaccination threshold must include all enrolled students and in-person staff. This includes teachers, aides, cafeteria workers, traveling in-person staff, maintenance workers, administration, coaches and anyone else in that school, part time or full time.

How will DESE determine when schools hit the threshold?

Proof of vaccination will be collected by schools and submitted to DESE.

Proof may include:

• COVID-19 vaccination card or digital copy of that card, or a printout from the Massachusetts Immunization Information System
• Letter of attestation signed by the vaccinated person or a parent or guardian
• Documentation from a health care provider

Vaccination documents must be kept confidential, and staff documents are not to be included in an employee’s personnel file.

It’s believed that 80% vaccination will provide a level of “herd immunity” from serious illness. When herd immunity from a virus is reached in a population, spread of that virus becomes highly unlikely, thus protecting the whole population from outbreaks.

What are current vaccination rates?

As of Oct. 4, Massachusetts has about 68% of its population vaccinated for COVID-19, and most of the highest vaccination rates are found in states in New England (Vermont has the highest rate in the country, approaching 70%, while New Hampshire is at about 62%).

According to Massachusetts Department of Public Health data on COVID-19 vaccinations by age group, Essex County is ahead of the curve, with 70% of kids ages 12 to 15 and 73% of teens aged 16-19 already vaccinated. The lowest rate among all age groups is among those 20 to 29, which is at 66%.

Other parts of the country haven’t been as proactive with vaccination. West Virginia and Idaho, for example, are both at about 41% vaccination.