Weston School Committee votes 5-0 to target Feb. 28 for mask-optional schools

WESTON — January 31, 2022 — Weston School Committee sets Feb. 28 as mask-optional target, shelving its Omicron-era metric. The 5-0 vote replaces a Nov. 22 framework that tied unmasking to 65 percent pool-testing participation and green-zone case rates; Director of Health Services Jamie Gaynor said the high school already holds a state waiver, the middle school application is pending and Field School's will be filed this week. District-wide weekly cases fell from 138 on Jan. 10 to 38 last week, about 2 percent of staff and students. Director of Student Services Martha Becken warned of an "incredible uptick" in student mental-health needs driving out-of-district placements; the collaborative-tuition line is up 81 percent. Finance Committee member John Sally and subcommittee member Lisa Rotano pressed the committee on declining enrollment — the high school is projected to fall from 707 students in 2018-19 to roughly 520 by 2028-29 — and urged a multi-year right-sizing plan.