Hatfield School Committee Eases Summer Mask Rules, Approves $12,000 Facilities Payment

HATFIELD -- July 14, 2021, Hatfield School Committee votes to end summer indoor mask requirement and restore $12,000 facilities payment. The committee voted unanimously at its July 14 meeting to replace the district's existing summer masking mandate with state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education guidance that masks are "not required but encouraged" for indoor settings. In a separate unanimous vote, members appropriated $12,000 from school choice funds to cover the facilities manager's stipend, a payment that had been inadvertently cut from this year's budget. Incoming Superintendent Michael Wood, attending his first committee meeting on his third day on the job, reported a 12- to 16-week supply-chain delay on a town-meeting-approved freezer replacement and said interviews for a food services director are set for the following Monday. The committee reserved July 26 for a follow-up meeting where a broader fall COVID policy and a potential food services hire could require action.