Marlborough School Committee votes masks optional starting March 10

MARLBOROUGH -- March 8, 2022, Marlborough School Committee ends school mask mandate effective March 10. The committee voted unanimously Tuesday to amend policy 8.500 to mask-optional after Superintendent Michael Bergeron urged the shift, citing two active district cases and updated CDC and state guidance. Marlborough Education Association president Eileen Berry reported that 52 percent of 307 MEA respondents favored ending masks on March 14, with 28 percent wanting them through year-end. State rules still require masks in school health offices and for days 5-10 after a positive test, and federal rules continue to mandate masks on buses. The committee also voted to post a public hearing on a $69,479,713 FY23 budget, a 4.24 percent increase, for March 22, and accepted a $97,350 Quest Diagnostics sponsorship for SAT and AP test prep.