Skip to main content

Quick Download on Masks in Natick Public Schools



February 9th Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Press Release 


FAQ - 

  1. If the Commissioner of Education lifted the mask mandated effective 2/28 for schools, why is this matter before the Board of Health and The Natick School Committee?  


Answer:  “Masking will be a community choice in schools across the Commonwealth, regardless of vaccination rates within a school; however, a school district could establish a local requirement” from DESE Press Release (see above)


  1. So what did Natick decide?


Answer:  The Board of Health initially indicated that they would like to review the data a week to 10 days after February Break to ensure that any positive members of the community and transmissions had been accounted for.  


Read the Superintendent's Memo to the School Committee summarizing the February Board of Health Meeting and the recommendation that to review the data and move to a flexible mask culture on Monday, 3/7/2022.


The School Committee will discuss and possibly vote to modify the Mask Policy on Monday, 2/28 during its regular business meeting. Agenda here.


The Policy Sub Committee’s recommendation to the full committee is:

“That the SC rescind Policy EBCFA (Face Coverings) effective the first school day following the date on which the BOH rescinds the Natick Public School Masking requirement.” 


  1. What happens next?


The Board of Health, (data review meeting), is now scheduled for Friday, March 4th at noon.


Also, the CDC released new guidance on masks on Friday, February 25th.

Popular posts from this blog

Statement on Recusal

Here are the remarks I gave last night when letting my committee know my decision to recuse:  After the School Committee meeting on October 15th, several individuals wrote into the SpeakUp Natick portal requesting that I recuse myself from voting on the possible closure of Johnson.  The substance of these messages, sent to the full committee, carried a familiar refrain. The messages - often using the same language – said some version of the following:  Catherine Brunell should recuse herself from deliberating and voting on the closure of Johnson because she lacks objectivity, as her children go to school there and she is from that neighborhood. I asked myself the question if there was any merit to the request for me to recuse myself and started to do some research about why people recuse  From what I can tell from the minutes, in Natick, It’s never happened before - not with the Kennedy, Wilson or the High School - not even for members whose children were to attend t...
Read more

Evaluation Time

The School Committees of every community are charged with oversight for the budget, the policies and the evaluation of the superintendent for the districts they serve. Tonight, in Natick, we begin the Superintendent evaluation process.  Virtual Meeting Link - 6:00 p.m.    Background:  Page 2 of DESE Model system guide for Superintendent Evaluation These videos  and this PDF explain the 5 step Superintendent Evaluation Process that Natick is piloting with other communities. It was developed in partnership with Superintendents, School Committees and the Dept. of Ed.   While Natick has adjusted some of the evaluation to be in-line with the process outlined in the above resources, we are continuing to develop the full pilot program.  Also, for a point of reference and a reminder that every superintendent goes through a similar process,   here is a slide deck from one of the initial meetings for the City of Boston's Superintendent evaluatio...
Read more

Quick Summary of Key things for the Natick School Committee this week

  Quick Links for current items: Natick School Committee begins Coffee Hours - Take a moment to speak to one of your elected officials about the district’s strategic plan in the coming months!   Policy Questions?  Click here to see the Natick School Committee Policy Manual .  Every year it is accepted by the Natick School Committee as our guiding principles for our work. It sets expectations for communication, procedures and processes for most everything related to our schools.  While specific policies are updated every year, the last major revision/ reconsideration of policies was in the early 2000’s.   One goal of the current policy subcommittee is to begin to look at each section of our policy manual once a year for a more sustainable updating of these key policies.   Policy Subcommittee’s next meeting is Thursday, Feb 17th from 1- 3 p.m. on the 3rd floor of the Natick Town Hall.   Budget Season! Not a financial person? Rea...
Read more