One Vermont school district forgoes mandatory masks

CANAAN, Vt. (WCAX) - Nearly every student in Vermont needs to bring their mask to school, but there is one district in the state that is not requiring it.

The superintendent of the Essex North Supervisory Union says in no way are they anti-mask, but the parents in the district overwhelmingly wanted choice, and they honored that.

Karen Conroy’s district serves students from Canaan, Granby, Maidstone and other small Northeast Kingdom communities.

Since the guidance from the state indicated masks were a recommendation, they went to parents for their input.

The majority of them in the district wanted masks to be optional, so the decision was made.

COVID-19 is a constantly changing situation, so all the guidance they have in place is subject to change if need be.

“I do think the conversations will continue with the board,” said Conroy. “I think that if we do see an outbreak where it spreads throughout our school and we have to go remote I definitely feel that it would have to be reassessed and would definitely need to be added to the other mitigation strategies that we do have.”

Conroy says when she visits classrooms in her district, many of the teachers and students are still wearing masks.

You can see the full interview with Conroy by clicking the video above.

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