Mask mandate reinstated at Chelsea Public Schools
CHELSEA -- Students at Chelsea Public Schools will be required to wear masks in the classroom starting Monday. Superintendent Dr. Almi Abeyta said the decision was made because Suffolk County was designated as "high risk" for COVID-19 transmission.
Masks need to be worn in school buildings except when eating or drinking, Abeyta said in a letter on Friday.
"As a reminder for our community, in April of 2022 the Chelsea School Committee voted to lift the mask requirement in schools provided CDC recommendations did not change based on the Suffolk County risk level. With the risk level changing, CPS will follow its established protocols and reinstitute its mask mandate," the letter continued.
School officials said they would lift the mandate when risk goes back down to medium.
School committee member Roberto Jimenez-Rivera told WBZ-TV that he has heard very little parent pushback and believes the mandate makes sense.
"I kind of come down on the side of anything we can do can be helpful," Jimenez-Rivera said. "Anything that we can do individually can be helpful in some way shape or form, but bigger measures would be even more helpful."