Students in Tiverton and Little Compton will officially be maskless Monday, after the school committees in each town declared masks optional just prior to the ending of the governor's executive order Friday, which required students, staff and visitors to wear them while in school.

The Tiverton School Committee passed its masks-optional policy last Tuesday night, and Little Compton followed suit Wednesday. Both votes were unanimous, though one Little Compton School Committee member was absent.

Though they arrived at the same conclusion, the two towns are taking different routes to ensure the safety of students and staff should another outbreak occur.

In Tiverton, committee members voted to suspend the town's current mask policy, and will rely on guidance from the state and Centers for Disease Control to inform future decisions on whether to re-institute a policy.

"This remains a dynamic situation," said committee chairman Jerry Larkin. "Hopefully COVID is done but I'm not positive it is."

"Our surrounding communities are mask optional," added committee member Deborah Pallasch. "We don't live in a bubble in this community. I'm not sure what we'd be protecting (students) from from just waiting. With all the guidance that we're given, with everything that we've seen ... at least I'm comfortable saying mask optional is the way to go."

In Little Compton, committee members voted to institute a new mask policy not tied to data outside the town — instead, masks will remain off as long as the rate of infection at Wilbur & McMahon exceeds 15 percent — roughly, about 29 students.

Little Compton threats

The lead-up to Little Compton's vote was contentious, as the committee's policy subcommittee and superintendent Dr. Laurie Dias-Mitchell initially proposed keeping masks in place and waiting for statewide infection rates to go down before deciding which way to go.

But in the tiny community, where just one Wilbur & McMahon student was positive as of last Wednesday, the idea drew sharp criticism in recent weeks, as scores of parents and several school committee members said the town would "punish" students by referring to outside data that doesn't necessarily take into account Little Compton's unique circumstances. In several cases, the criticism grew to the level of threats, committee chairwoman Polly Allen said.

"We have waited for guidance and leadership from our state and the department of education," she said. "Sometimes it never came. We have been harassed, threatened and intimidated right up until today. We have been told by parents to do the right thing, sometimes followed by an 'or else' or threat."

"I will not be bullied into a decision. I am about science and data and safety."

In the lead-up discussion to the vote, Dias-Mitchell said she was fine with members' suggestions that masks be tied to Wilbur & McMahon data, and not the Rhode Island Department of Health or CDC. Still, she said, she would continue to look at that data regardless of what the committee chose.

"I hope you realize that I'm truly data-driven," she said. "I trust the CDC. I trust in RIDOH. If you get rid of (those sources of guidance) I'm fine with it. But I'll use it anyway."

"I heard you say you trust the CDC, you trust RIDOH. What bothers me is that you didn't say you trust the parents," said Little Compton member Mike Rocha. "We have to put faith in our parents. For us to just sit there and leave it up to the superintendent ... I'm not in favor of that."

Under the district's new policy, Dias-Mitchell will call for an emergency school committee meeting if the Wilbur & McMahon infection rate exceeds 15 percent. There, where members will vote on her recommendation. It's the sensible approach, she said, responding to Rocha's comments.

"To say that I do not value the view of parents and guardians is absolutely stunning," she said. "Those same parents and guardians have trusted this administration for two years to safely educate their children (and) safely transport their children. I have to come (before) the school committee to actuate any temporary order here. So it's not left for me to act on a whim."

Bullying

Throughout weeks of discussion, both committee members and parents in each town spoke of the importance of making students who still choose to wear masks feel comfortable in school without bullying by their peers. As both districts implement the policy, committee members from both towns said that should remain at the forefront:

"There's to be no teasing," said Tiverton member Mike DeCotis. "There's no tolerance for that. We need to make sure that everyone is comfortable coming to school, whether they're masked or unmasked. We need to make sure that we respect everyone in the end, and that we're civil and respectful."