Community members and staff attend an emergency meeting of the Regional School Unit 73 board of directors Tuesday night in Jay. Directors voted unanimously to make masking optional in district buildings. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

JAY — In an emergency meeting Tuesday, Regional School Unit 73 board of directors voted unanimously to approve a mask optional policy effective March 9.

In making the motion, Director Elaine Fitzgerald noted the decision could be revisited should the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention update its recommendations.

Prior to the vote, John Benedetto of Livermore Falls spoke in support of changing the policy.

“You know where I stand on masks,” he said.

Benedetto spoke against masking at the Aug. 12, 2021, board meeting. At a meeting a week later, a 6-5 vote made masking mandatory in all Spruce Mountain buildings.

“I’m in support of no masks,” Frank Rangel of Jay said. “I hope we make a change for the positive.”

Rangel spoke of his son telling him he gets tired while running. When Rangel asked why, the son said maybe it’s the masks.

The district’s physician, Dr. Michele Knapp, wrote a letter to the board recommending the transition to optional masking. She based her recommendation on the steadily decreasing number of COVID-19 cases, both in RSU 73 and in the state.

“However, masks are still required for anyone who is completing their 10-day period of isolation (for people who have had COVID-19) and quarantine (for people who have been exposed to someone with the virus),” she wrote.

A letter from the district’s four school nurses also supported the change. Their letter notes the peak number of cases was 71 the week of Jan. 9. The week of Feb. 27 there were five cases in the district, they noted.

“At this time, the state vaccination dashboard projects RSU 73 has a 40-44% vaccination rate for students,” they wrote. “We also have a staff vaccination rate of 80% or greater in each school. This is encouraging to see and adds an extra layer of protection for our school community.”

A letter Superintendent Scott Albert sent to staff, students and families notes RSU 73 will continue to follow the Maine Department of Education standard operating procedure. In districts without a universal masking policy anyone testing positive for COVID-19 must wear a mask on days six to 10 if able to return to school.

Albert noted other instances where masks may be required include field trips or co-curricular activities where the venue requires masks. Those who choose may wear masks in Spruce Mountain schools and masks will be available upon request, Albert wrote.

Voluntary pool testing will continue to be offered and hand sanitizer will be available when entering buildings. Access to buildings for nonessential personnel will still be limited.

Following the meeting, Albert said an email he received during February vacation indicated federal guidelines for wearing masks while on buses has also become optional. Prior to that email, masking while on buses was supposed to be in effect until March 18, he said.