Somersworth, Dover schools get ready to end mask mandates as COVID cases decrease

Somersworth and Dover schools are moving toward loosening mask mandates this spring, making masks optional, but recommended for students with coronavirus cases decreasing.

The Somersworth School District decided Tuesday night to make masks optional starting April 1 through the end of the school year. 

Somersworth Superintendent Lori Lane said as vaccination rates have increased, strategies around identifying sources of spread have been improved, improvements to HVAC systems in the middle and high school have been made, and community spread levels of COVID-19 decline, there is more confidence in the decision to roll back mask mandates.  

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“The process we established to help mitigate COVID-19 has allowed our doors to remain unlocked, and our students able to experience in-person learning as well as the important activities associated with being part of a school-wide community,” Lane said in an email. “The recent statewide and school district data showing a reduction of COVID-19 spread has begun to look promising.”

Somersworth School Board member Todd Marsh said he’s satisfied with the work of the district’s mitigation management team, and the decision to end mandated masking.

“Mitigation approaches differ, but our want to return to at least near normalcy is the same,” Marsh said Wednesday. “I recognize an April 1st optional masking date will be too soon for some and too late for others. There will be no perfect time to transition, but I believe the announcement date will provide residents with hope, time to plan and something to smile about, behind or without masks, going into the warmth of spring.”

Lane said because the spread of COVID-19 has been unpredictable, the district's COVID Response Management Team will continue to discuss and evaluate the situation to adjust other safety practices as needed. Required quarantine and isolation periods, as well as other mitigation efforts will remain in place, until there are changes in state and federal guidance, Lane said. 

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“Students and staff choosing to wear masks throughout the day will be supported,” Lane said. “The COVID Response Management Team will continue their weekly meetings and reviews. It is our hope that the trends toward further reductions in COVID-19 cases will continue and as a community we will continue to move towards more normalcy.”

Dover change could come in March

The Dover School District discussed Monday possibly moving optional masking next month as long as the transmission metrics of COVID-19 spread in the community move from “substantial” to “moderate” by the end of the month. 

"Once the spread shifts to moderate, we will then go to masks are optional but recommended," Superintendent William Harbron said. "Right now we're still in substantial spread, but we're continuing to monitor that."

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During Monday’s Dover School Board meeting, Harbron and Assistant Superintendent for Student Services Christine Boston recommended only rolling back masking if, and when, the current COVID numbers can support it. This would mean cases over the past 14 days per 100,000 population are under 100, and the test positivity rate over the past seven days is under 10%.

"The region is seeing a decline in cases due to the omicron variant. We are hopeful that we will be able to reach the moderate level of community transmission in the next few weeks," Harbron said. "When this occurs is not entirely known and depends on community transmission levels. As this occurs you will receive notification that masking in schools is recommended but optional. The Dover School District is looking forward to continued improvement and decline in the number of COVID cases in our region."

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Any future changes in masking would not change the federal mandate that students wear masks on buses, and it would not change the district's requirement that students or staff returning from a COVID infection on day 6-10 of quarantine will have to mask until their quarantine is over, Harbron said. 

Rochester School Board Chair Paul Lynch said that currently a mask mandate is in place, until Feb. 18 due to transmission of 10% or higher. Lynch said the policy will be reviewed and updated as needed.

Scott Schuler, of the Seacoast and Strafford County Public Health Networks, said the organization continues to recommend to districts to wait until at least April to withdraw mandates. 

"Our positivity rate in the Greater Seacoast is around 8%," Schuler said. "Allow time to drive rates down further, especially in this poorly vaccinated population. April weather will allow for better ventilation with windows and more outdoor activities and dining for students. We all need to understand that masking will likely need to occur in the future.  With each wave the quicker we move to masks as a society and the longer we take to remove them, will lead to lengthier times without them." 

Editor's note: Since the publication of this story Lane clarified masking in Somersworth schools will be voluntary through the end of the school year.