As COVID-19 infections grow, Grafton students are encouraged to use masks

Grafton students are once again encouraged to take up the masks — if they ever took them off — as Worcester County moved into the high category for community transmission of COVID-19.

The move is not a mandate, Superintendent of Schools James Cummings stressed.

“The School Committee strongly recommends that parents, students, and staff consider wearing masks while indoors for the foreseeable future,” Cummings said in an email. 

The School Committee discussed the recent increase in cases during Tuesday’s meeting. Grafton lifted the mask mandate back on March 2, shortly after the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education withdrew the requirement statewide.

Grafton schools reported 28 new cases of Covid this week, 12 at North Grafton Elementary School, 1 at Millbury Street Elementary School, 12 at North Street Elementary School, 5 at Grafton Middle School, and 9 at Grafton High School.

The schools have seen 1,172 cases since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

“At the district level, we have seen a recent increase in positive cases among students and staff that mirrors the recent increase in positive COVID cases statewide,” Cummings said.

In Grafton overall, 129 people have tested positive for Covid in the last 14 days. The town overall has an 83.8 percent vaccination rate.

The school district continues to use air purifiers, open classroom windows, and utilizes the at-home testing program in an effort to minimize transmission at school. Windows will remain open on school buses during the morning and afternoon routes.

On Thursday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported 5,576 new confirmed coronavirus cases and said 13,004 vaccinations, including booster shots, had been administered. Sixteen deaths were reported.

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