BALTIMORE — Maryland students may soon be able to head to classrooms maskless after the State Board of Education voted Tuesday to rescind statewide mask mandates.
In a 12-2 vote, the Board approved Gov. Larry Hogan's call to end mandatory mask policies in all Maryland schools, and instead return that power to individual school districts and counties based on local metrics.
"I think it is the right time to return it back to local control," Maryland State School Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury said. "The conditions are better, there's more testing, there are more vaccines that are readily available, and, like I said, the conditions have kept our schools open."
Hogan praised the decision.
“I want to thank the State Board of Education for heeding our call to rescind its school mask policy," Hogan wrote in a statement. "This action aligns with the data and the science, the recommendation of the State Superintendent of Schools, and the guidance of medical professionals across the country. I also want to express my sincere appreciation to all the parents who have spoken out in recent weeks. At a time when Maryland has the lowest COVID-19 metrics in the country, this is a major step for normalcy and the well-being of our students.
Now, the Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive & Legislative Review will have to vote to approve or deny the Board's recommendation. The AELR Committee will hold a virtual public hearing and vote Friday at 2:30 p.m. If the proposal passes with them, local school boards will be allowed to set their own policies beginning March 1.
“The General Assembly must now act swiftly to ratify the State Board’s decision," Hogan urged in his statement.
Tuesday's move also sparked conversations from parents who are wary about having classrooms with unmasked children.
“It’s taking away my choice to keep her from an environment that I think is unsafe for her. Even if she masks, it is still going to be a lot of children tightly packed," Dr. Jennifer Philbeck, a Montgomery County Public School parent said.
While also in Montgomery County some parents said they believe this decision was the right one.
"I think the state lifting the statewide mandate hopefully paves the way for counties to actually make decisions. I think sometimes our local counties are hiding behind the state guidance or the state decisions as reasons for inaction instead of considering what does our community really need at this point in time," Jennifer Reesman, a Montgomery County Public School parent said. "We’ve done a lot of wonderful things, and I think it’s time.”
Masking policies are something Montgomery County Public Schools plans to provide an update on during its Thursday Board of Education meeting. In Charles County, mask regulations will also be discussed during its next board of education meeting. While in Prince George's County a school spokesperson says they are monitoring the conversation and will continue to follow guidance from local and state health departments.
An educator in Prince George's County said there are concerns surrounding the possibility of masks no longer needing to be required.
"Each district is going to do what is appropriate for them. I know Prince George's county was hit pretty hard with the virus so there is hesitancy not just with educators but with the parents. A lot of parents are still concerned, a lot of students lost family members," Chrystie Lynch, a Prince George’s County middle school teacher said.
"We recognize at some point we’re going to have to stop wearing these masks but there is still some concern about the spread of the virus, we want to make that the numbers are down consistently and that we’re able to keep everyone safe," Lynch said.
Dozens of parents and students turned out at the statehouse in Annapolis Thursday morning for a rally requesting the legislature rescind the Emergency Order requiring masks in schools, and asking Gov. Hogan to pass an Executive Order barring mask mandates in school districts.
But the governor reiterated that he would lean on state education authorities to loosen up mask requirements in schools, rather than influencing policy through an executive order.
The Board's previous guidance had been that masks should be required in schools until 80% of the county population is vaccinated, 80% of the students and staff at a school are vaccinated or if the county’s transmission rate is “low” or “moderate” for 14 consecutive days.
According to the CDC's latest guidance, schools are recommended to require universal indoor masking by all students (ages 2 years and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. The CDC director recently announced that transmission and hospital rates remain too high across the United States from the most recent omicron variant surge for a change in school mask guidance just yet.