Stonington — The Board of Education on Thursday night voted unanimously to lift the COVID-19 school mask mandate as of Feb. 28.

In addition, the board voted that the school district will "encourage and support" any student or staff member who wants to wear a mask.

The decision came after two hours of public comment, in which parent after parent — some fighting back tears — and students demanded the board end the mandate and let families decide whether their children should wear masks.

Superintendent of Schools Van Riley then recommended that the mandate be lifted and parents be allowed to decide whether their children should wear masks. He left the implementation date up to the board but said that it is important everyone support the decision because "we are one community."

Board member Kevin Agnello made the motion to lift the mandate as of Feb. 28. "Parents should be making decisions about the health of their children, not me," he said.

"It's time to put this in the hands of parents," added board member Chris Donahue.  

Her voice cracking, board member Sara Baker said, "I'm so scared we're going to make the wrong decision and we won't have prom or graduation. But I also know we have to move forward." 

Chairman Farouk Rajab pointed out the school board did not mandate masks, the state did. "We are Stonington. We are not hiding from you. We are volunteers. We love your children because they are our children," he said.     

The first speaker during the two hours of public comment, Stonington high school teacher, coach and parent A.J. Massengale, told the board it was time to end the mask mandate with no restrictions. "For two years we've made sacrifices for the good of others. For too long we've had no choice," he said, adding that people who want to wear masks can continue to do so if they wish to protect themselves.

Other parents told the board that masks and social distancing do not work and said teachers have bullied students who are unvaccinated or oppose mask-wearing. They criticized school officials for allowing mask mandates to continue so long and warned that parents would no longer sit idly by and obey mandates. They talked emotionally about how the mask mandates have harmed their children's physical and emotional health.

They also said vaccines and masks are available to those who want them to protect themselves. Some pointed out their children wonder why they have to wear masks in school when people do not have to wear them in so many settings outside of school. A few said their children would not wear a mask beginning Feb. 28. They cheered wildly for each speaker.

Katie Quinlan, president of the Deans Mill School parent–teacher organization, urged the board to allow mask choice as the negative effects of mask-wearing and social distancing — depression, anxiety, self-harm, fighting, speech problems, missed school events and more — are growing.

"Let each family choose what's best for their children," she said. "Kids should get back to being kids again."

Parent Nick Tewell, who has addressed the board at numerous meetings about masks, said, "we are not anti-vaccine or anti-mask, we are for choice." He added just one student in the system is now positive for COVID-19.

Parent Paul Lagasse, a hospital pharmacist, told the board "COVID is never going away" but now there are treatments and vaccines. He said there have been just 25 case in town over the past week.

"We live in the USA. We should be given a choice of what to do," he said.

But a group of high school students cheered remarks by senior Katherine Glenn, who said the school's student government favors keeping mask mandates in place to prevent future outbreaks that will further disrupt learning and jeopardize end-of-the year events such as prom, banquets and graduation.

Last week, Gov. Ned Lamont announced he would move to end the statewide school mask mandate on Feb. 28 and let individual school districts make the decision on whether masks must still be worn. But on Monday, the General Assembly voted to extend Lamont's pandemic executive orders, one of which would allow the commissioners of the state Education and Public Health departments to again implement statewide school and day care masking or social distancing rules if they see fit up until the end of the school year on June 30. This means that even though the school board here lifted the mask mandate on Thursday night, it could be short lived if the two commissioners later reinstate it. The two departments announced they soon would be issuing guidance to school boards on the mask issue. The Montville and Preston school boards approved mask choice beginning March 1.

Riley's recommendation came after Stonington teachers union President Michael Freeman wrote that more than 70% of his members "believe we should stay masked for the time being" and asked school officials to "not to succumb to politics, pseudoscience, and mob rule, but follow the directives of the CDC, the DPH and Ledge Light Health District when determining the proper course of action to follow. Ledge Light also has recommended mask mandates stay in place.

j.wojtas@theday.com