Groton — The Groton school district is among the school systems in the region that will not be requiring masks, starting Monday, and instead will leave the decision up to families and staff.

"With the announcement that Governor (Ned) Lamont is lifting the mask mandate as of February 28, 2022, and hearing from our families through email and the parent feedback survey, the decision for Groton Public Schools will be one of choice by families and staff," Superintendent of Schools Susan Austin wrote in a letter last Friday to parents and guardians. "While the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) still recommends the use of masks, particularly for those who are not fully vaccinated, students and staff will not be required to wear masks in school as of Monday, February 28th."

However, students will need to continue to wear masks on school buses, per federal guidelines, she said.

In making the decision, the school district put out a survey and considered many factors, including collaboration with superintendents in the region, the commissioner of education and the state Department of Education, and experts from the CDC and Ledge Light Health District, she explained.

A survey of Groton parents, with 2,307 responses and 837 comments, found that 89.5% of respondents would like to make the choice of whether or not their children wear masks in school, while 10.5% would not like to make the choice.

If parents were given the choice, 61.3% said their child will not wear a mask to school and 38.7% said their child will wear a mask to school, according to the survey results.

A survey of Groton schools staff, with 611 responses and 255 comments, found that 82.7% of staff respondents would like to make the choice, while 17.3% would not like to make the choice.

If able to make the choice, 51.2% of staff respondents said they would continue to wear a mask in school, while 48.8% would not, according to survey results.

Austin said in the letter that parents who want their children to wear masks need to communicate that to their children, as staff will no longer monitor mask-wearing beginning on Monday.

"The school district will not discriminate against any student or staff who chooses to wear or not wear a mask, nor will the district tolerate any bullying or harassment of anyone for their choice," Austin added.

East Lyme, Montville, Preston, Stonington and Lyme-Old Lyme also are allowing for people to choose whether or not to wear masks in schools, The Day reported.

Lamont said in his Feb. 7 announcement that the state no longer would mandate masks in schools starting Monday and that school districts should make their own decisions about whether or not to continue requiring masks.

k.drelich@theday.com