This petition is to ensure that masks are OPTIONAL in Mass schools this Fall.

On May 27, 2021 DESE put out a statement that read: “...for the fall, all districts and schools will be required to be in-person, full time, five days a week and all DESE health and safety requirements will be lifted. This includes all physical distancing requirements.” As noted in the media stories in the weeks following, the State assured parents restrictions would be lifted come the school year in Fall 2021. "Riley also reiterated that all COVID-19 health and safety guidance, including masking and physical distancing will be lifted at the start of the 2021-22 academic year in the Fall."

For many parents across the state, this has been the expectation: the lifting of covid restrictions. There was no mention of vaccination status but rather an across the board "no more restrictions." For the past 2 months, summer schools, camps, athletics, and the like have been running with no restrictions. Children have eaten in restaurants, shopped in stores, attended movies and concerts with no masks and no restrictions. Yet now, with no scientific data, various parent groups and some local districts are calling for masks and social distancing to be required in the Fall.

While narratives of fear and new variants dominate the media cycle, the data and evidence make it clear that children are safe in school without masks and other restrictions, as they have been in so many states across the country. Our children have sacrificed long enough; it’s time for them to return to school free of restrictions. It’s time to move beyond a singular focus on COVID and refocus on children’s broader well-being, mental health, and development at school. If you agree that masks must be optional for children in school this fall, please sign this petition.