Finally, another ‘Maskless Monday’ in Johnston's schools

Starting Monday, March 7, masks will be optional for students and staff in Johnston’s public schools.

The School Committee met Tuesday night to discuss a revised mask policy.

Only one town resident spoke prior to the vote.

Parent Chris Cahill virtually attended the meeting via Zoom.

“I want to be able to remove masks from my children as much as anyone else, but especially in Johnston, it’s just not that time,” Cahill told the committee. “Johnston has the fourth highest rate of infection in Rhode Island. And only slightly behind Providence, and that district has decided to keep the mask mandate at this time.”

Cahill referred to statistics from the Rhode Island Department of Health, and recommended Johnston pause for two weeks before relaxing the current mask mandate in schools.

Johnston Schools Superintendent Dr. Bernard DiLullo Jr. introduced a proposed revised mask policy Tuesday night.

Ultimately, the policy called for making masks optional for students and staff, in school, but keeps the mandate in place on school buses.

“Masks are required on transportation based on the mandate of the Transportation Security Administration,” DiLullo said. “Those mandates are still in place, on all public transportation, including school buses … until March 18.”

DiLullo delivered the district’s latest student vaccination numbers by school: Sarah Dyer Barnes School, 34 percent vaccinated (29 percent fully vaccinated); Brown Avenue Elementary, 33 percent vaccinated (29 percent fully); Nicholas A. Ferri Middle School, 54 percent vaccinated (50 percent fully); Johnston High School, 69 percent vaccinated (66 percent fully); Thornton Elementary, 33 percent vaccinated (28 percent fully); Winsor Hill Elementary, 42 percent vaccinated (36 percent fully); and the Early Childhood Center, 19 percent vaccinated (15 percent fully).

DiLullo also boiled down the most recent data on infection rates in each school.

“In the last seven days, Brown Avenue, the ECC, Graniteville, Thornton and Winsor Hill all had zero cases,” DiLullo said. “Johnston Senior High School, Nicholas Ferri Middle School and Sarah Dyer Barnes Elementary School had fewer than five cases in the last seven days. We’ve had no staff cases in the last seven days, of COVID infection.”

Data across the state has been trending in the right direction. State agencies have given schools new suggestions for handling this phase of the pandemic.

“Right now, the Rhode Island Department of Health is recommending that we move away from contact tracing, which means we won’t trace students who could possibly be infected,” DiLullo said Tuesday night. “Instead, what we’re practicing, is monitoring symptoms to stay. So students, even though may have come in contact with someone who’s positive, if they’re not showing symptoms they can come to school.”

The policy differs slightly if students contract COVID.

“Students who are isolated, probably are isolated for five days if they’re testing positive for COVID,” DiLullo said. “And then, returning to school, they still must wear a mask for five days after.”

The board briefly discussed the new policy details.

“So as far as policy goes, what we would think of in terms of a proposal, would be face coverings are recommended but not required for students, faculty and staff in schools,” DiLullo explained. “KN95 face coverings will be available for students and staff when they need them. Should conditions change, and infections rise significantly, the committee will reconvene to assess whether masks should be required at any point. Federal law still governs the masks on transportation services. If the Transportation Security Administration also moves away from the mask mandate, the district will support the decision.”

Over the summer, before Gov. Dan McKee issued a statewide mask mandate for schools, school committees across the Ocean State held at-times raucous meetings in which parents ferociously argued both for and against mandatory face-coverings.

The Johnston School Committee voted to adopt a similar, voluntary mask policy. McKee’s eventual executive order, however, overrode the Johnston policy.

Two weeks ago, McKee decided once again to send the decision back to local school committees.

Johnston school Committee Member Susan M. Mansolillo had argued in the past to keep the mask mandate in place, especially as infection rates soared.

“I just feel that at this time, from what I have read and what I have learned, and the change in the CDC guidelines … parents have been given the option to have their … school age children vaccinated,” Mansolillo said Tuesday night. “If parents are extremely concerned, they can have their children vaccinated and they can continue to mask their children. I feel as though parents who don’t want to mask their children should not be required to, due to the low transmission rates at this time. So, I feel … at this time, since the transmission rates are so low, that we should not continue to mandate masks in the school system. When the numbers were going up, I felt differently.”

McKee’s recent mask policy revision called for the possible lifting of school-wide mandates after Friday, March 4.

School Committee member Joseph W. Rotella suggested the policy should kick in the following Monday, March 7, to give the district the opportunity to give facilities another deep clean. He also wanted to add a “bullying” caveat to the policy.

“I really feel that any kid who comes to school, who wants to wear a mask should not be bothered; shouldn’t be bullied,” Rotella said Tuesday night. “Every kid should have the option to come to school and not be bullied. Also, we should be able to provide masks for everyone who comes to school who wants one.”

Parents hoping the mask mandate would fall packed the Ferri Middle School library for Tuesday night’s meeting. Most did not wear masks, despite the surviving mandate, three days before the policy’s expiration. None stood to speak during the meeting. Some quietly questioned, from the audience, the district’s decision to maintain the requirement for mask wearing by students while on school buses.

Mask rules outside of schools - in stores and most public spaces - dropped weeks ago; except in cases of public transportation.

Students will still be required to wear masks on school buses, and Johnston School Committee Chairman Robert LaFazia reiterated DiLullo’s position that it’s beyond the district’s control.

“Also, the busing is out of our jurisdiction … we don’t make that decision,” LaFazia said.

The committee voted unanimously to approve the revised mask policy, which will take affect on Monday, March 7.