Massachusetts updates COVID guidelines for schools as students prepare for return

BOSTON (WLNE) — Massachusetts education officials released updated COVID guidelines for schools Monday, as students being to prepare for their return to the classroom.

The state will not be recommending masking or COVID testing starting this fall.

In February, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker and the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced the state would end its mask mandate for K-12 schools.

In a memo, the department said schools should focus their mitigation strategies on vulnerable and symptomatic people.

Individual districts can still decide to implement their own testing programs.