Superintendent Dr. Linus Guillory announced in an email to staff that the Public Schools of Brookline (PSB) will be transitioning to a mask-friendly environment on Monday, March 14, which means that anyone in a PSB building will have the choice to wear a mask. The only exception to this is in the nurse’s office, where masks continue to be mandatory.

The email follows the recent removal of the town’s indoor mask mandate.

Guillory wrote that the community must be respectful of peoples’ choices.

“The transition to a mask-friendly environment could stimulate many emotions for our community. Please consider that while the relaxing of masking requirements is welcome news for some, it might not be the case for everyone,” Guillory wrote. “Now, more than ever, it is important we model and practice a culture of care. None of us should feel obligated or pressured to explain our masking decisions to others. Let’s continue to respect each other in these health choices around masking, based on individual circumstances and risks.”

Guillory wrote that the town will continue to strictly observe COVID-19 case levels and provide resources to limit its spread.

“As a reminder, PSB will continue to offer masks to anyone who needs one. We will continue to leverage our support and resources in social-emotional learning; our current mitigation strategies (e.g. symptomatic testing at school, home testing program) will continue through April 22, after which it will be evaluated by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Most importantly, we will monitor district data from our community to inform future policy decisions in response to any change in public health conditions,” Guillory wrote. “We thank you for adapting so quickly to these ever-evolving changes. Let us continue to keep our community safe and healthy as we navigate through the pandemic.”

Additional information regarding this transition can be found here.