Mr. Lehn and Ms. Latimore working together with and without masks.

Photo credit: Jackson Anderson, 9th grade

After Governor Lamont announced that the mask requirement in schools would be lifted on February 7th, Mr.  Rohdie revealed that GCDS would become mask-optional starting February 28th. With the passing of February 28th, a step towards normalcy has been taken.

Since Governor Lamont’s announcement, emergency procedures surrounding the pandemic expired– meaning the governor is no longer able to enact emergency orders in regards to COVID. “Connecticut is seeing a dramatic decline in cases caused by the Omicron variant, and children over the age of 5 have had the ability to get vaccinated for more than three months now,” says Lamont. “With this in mind, I think we are in a good position to phase out the requirement that masks be worn in all schools statewide and shift the determination on whether to require this to the local level.”

Students working together without masks.

Photo credit:  Wylie Dell’Olio, 11th grade

There are understandably mixed feelings about the mandate amongst students. Savannah, an 11th grader, says, “I’m a little worried, honestly. I’m not really sure how it’s gonna go.” Similarly, Azsadee, also in 11th grade, mentioned that while feeling happy about the lifting of the mandate, she also feels “held back because… general worries.” 

 Some students are worried about how it can affect their lives outside of school. According to Janet, a 12th grader, “[Janet and her family] were trying to be really careful about bringing COVID into the family.” 

On the first mask-optional day of school at GCDS, Camille, another 12th grader, remembers, “I was nervous walking in like, ‘ok, who’s gonna have their masks on?’ and I walked in with my mask and I got questions like ‘why are you wearing your mask?’… in a way it was like a pressure to take your mask off.”

Other students were relieved about the lifting of the mandate. When 9th grader Eli discovered masks were becoming optional, he felt “pretty happy… I was excited to get my mask off because I found it annoying after all this time.”

The potential division that can come from this new policy is something GCDS has taken into account. According to Dr. Winters, “The ‘mask-optional’ policy has the potential to divide students and cause tension. Let’s not let that happen… the message with a ‘mask-optional’ policy is that while individuals can choose to protect themselves by wearing a mask, the concerns about transmitting the virus to others and the severity of infection are greatly reduced. Those who want to be as safe as they can will continue to wear masks. That’s OK and we all need to respect that choice.”

Division is on the minds of students as well. Savannah recalls, “My friend at another school —her school’s mask-optional— she’s like ‘oh, can’t wait to go back! I can’t wait to get mask shamed!’ and I was like, ‘oh yeah, we gotta worry about that too’.”

In terms of the future of the school in relation to COVID, Dr. Winters predicts, “[GCDS] will have an occasional case, but I do not expect a widespread problem. If another variant comes and infections increase or symptoms become more severe, we will likely need to mask again. Our very high vaccination rate, although not necessarily a preventative with Omicron, plays very much in our favor with managing the pandemic as a whole.”

Dr. Winters hopes that the members of the GCDS community will “acknowledge that different people are in different places with their concerns about COVID,” and that everyone respects the different decisions that will be made when it comes to mask-wearing. The new policy will be an adjustment for everyone. It highlights the progress as well as the anxieties surrounding COVID. However, phasing out of mask wearing is a result of the world’s slow and cautious efforts to return to normal.