SNOW HILL – Despite an emergency regulation approved by the state’s school board this week, mask requirements will continue in Worcester County’s public schools for now.
The Maryland State Board of Education voted Tuesday to approve a rule that would allow mask mandates to be lifted if certain COVID-19 metrics are met. Here in Worcester County, however, transmission rates are too high and vaccination rates are too low to qualify.
“The Worcester County Board of Education and leadership team are reviewing the proposed emergency regulation to determine any next steps forward,” a statement from the local board reads. “At this time, Worcester County Public Schools (WCPS) does not meet any of the criteria to qualify for the ‘off-ramps’ from the face covering requirements in school facilities. However, officials will continue to closely monitor the data points set forth in the proposed regulation and will develop a strategy to address the off-ramps in the event that WCPS nears eligibility.”
According to the new regulation approved by the state board Tuesday, school districts would be able to lift their mask mandates if 80% of the county is vaccinated, if 80% of the students and staff at a school are vaccinated or if the county’s transmission rate is low or moderate for 14 consecutive days. There aren’t currently any school districts in Maryland that meet the criteria.
In Worcester County, the CDC has classified transmission as high and the county’s vaccination rate is 74.4% according to the Worcester County Health Department. Individual school vaccination rates are unknown.
During the state board’s meeting, Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury described the details of the three “pathways” that could lead to school districts lifting the mask requirements. He said the model where a school lifted mask requirements when 80% of its students and staff were vaccinated was being used successfully in Massachusetts.
“Some schools have been off of face coverings for almost a month now,” he said. “Things are going well.”
In counties where the vaccination rate reaches 80%, Choudhury said the local school board simply had to vote to remove their face covering requirement once the Maryland Department of Health declared 80% of residents were vaccinated.
The third pathway will allow local superintendents to lift mask requirements if transmission rates are “moderate” or “low” for 14 consecutive days as reported by the CDC. Choudhury noted that if transmission rates increased, however, the mask requirement would have to be reinstated.
“That’s how we have constructed it, three pathways to get there,” he said. “Again transmission rates can drop. You don’t have to necessarily get vaccinated but there is strong correlation around counties who are dropping transmission rates while the population is highly vaccinated. But you could not. You could just make sure you’re staying home when sick, make sure you’re in well ventilated areas, make sure you are doing all of the layered strategies and you can get there as a community.”
A legislative committee will soon need to approve the state board’s regulation before it can be adopted.
