On September 4, 2020, Governor Lamont issued Executive Order No. 9, Section 1 providing that the Connecticut Commissioner of Education may issue binding guidance, rules, or orders for operation of schools or childcare settings that each deems necessary to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic or its effects or to implement any previous or future executive order issued in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and that such rules or binding guidance may include rules related to the required use of masks or face-coverings in school buildings. That Executive Order is set to expire on February 15, 2022.

The State of Connecticut, and the Town of Westport in particular, have high numbers of people who are COVID-19 recovered, vaccinated against COVID-19, or both.

Many countries, states, towns, communities and schools throughout the United States and the world have made mask-wearing optional, with no effect on community spread of COVID-19. This includes the Town of Westport, which currently does not mandate the wearing of masks or face-coverings in the broader community.

We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens who strongly believe in mask choice in the Westport Public Schools. We urge both the Town of Westport as well as the Westport Board of Education to act immediately to make the wearing of masks and/or face coverings in Westport Public School buildings optional for all students, faculty, staff, community members and visitors, regardless of vaccination status, effective immediately upon the expiration of Governor Lamont’s Executive Order No. 9, Section 1.