HOLYOKE — When students return to school in Holyoke later this month, they will be required to wear masks indoors.
On Monday afternoon, Holyoke Public Schools, which have been under state control since 2015, released a return-to-school plan that includes a mask mandate covering students, teachers and staff for all inside activities. Students will be able to remove their masks indoors for eating and “mask breaks.”
The district also said it would require physical distancing of 3 feet wherever possible, proper air filtration, routine COVID-19 “safety checks” — previously known as “pooled testing” — along with grouping students in cohorts and an emphasis on encouraging people to get vaccinated against the virus.
The decision comes as cases of the coronavirus delta variant that causes COVID-19 continue to surge nationwide, with cases higher in Hampden County than any other county in western Massachusetts. Hampden County currently has a high level of community transmission of the virus, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The county reported 275 new COVID-19 cases on Monday and 107 on Tuesday.
“This plan was developed with a student-first mindset that provides students with a safe, positive and productive school year and that maximizes the likelihood of uninterrupted learning for everyone,” Holyoke Receiver-Superintendent Anthony Soto said in a statement. “Our guidelines were developed with DESE (state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education) and CDC guidance, as well as consultations with the local board of health and input from families through our Family Survey that received over 1,000 responses.”
In a letter to school families and staff, Soto noted that the state education department is requiring all districts to conduct in-person, full-time classes this fall. He said Holyoke Public Schools doesn’t have an option for virtual or remote learning.
School is set to begin Aug. 23 for students in first grade through 12th grade, and on Aug. 30 for pre-K and kindergarten students.
“We understand that the past 17 months of the pandemic have challenged every person of our school community in unique ways,” Soto wrote. “Whether August 23rd marks the first time a student is enrolled at HPS, the first time a student has been physically in an HPS building since March 2020, or whether the student was in-person most of last school year, HPS is ready and eager to engage with each student to meet their needs and accelerate their learning.”
Gov. Charlie Baker has continued to resist calls to institute a mask mandate for Massachusetts schools.
Dusty Christensen can be reached at dchristensen@gazettenet.com.