BRAINTREE -- Following the guidance of state officials, archdiocesan Superintendent of Catholic Schools Thomas Carroll announced on Feb. 9 that the current masking mandate in archdiocese-led schools would be lifted at the end of the month.

Earlier in the day, Gov. Charlie Baker and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) commissioner Jeffrey Riley announced that the statewide mask mandate for K-12 schools would be lifted effective Feb. 28.

After consulting with Cardinal Seán P. O'Malley, Carroll released a statement that the archdiocese's schools will follow the state's guidance. This decision applies to children of any age in schools run by the archdiocese but not to independent Catholic schools or those run by religious orders.

The change will go into effect on Feb. 28, the first day of school after February break.

"This will give schools time to adjusttheir policies and communicate with parentsand other affected parties," Carroll said in his statement.

Individual teachers and staff members will be allowed to wear masks at their own discretion. Parents can also choose to have their children continue to wear masks.

"These personal decisions will be respected," Carroll said.

He said that in "a limited number of instances," the Catholic Schools Office will consider requests to require masks in schools that have a consensus among parents and compelling data.

Catholic schools will still follow any local health board mandates. They will also comply with the federal order for students to wear masks on school buses. DESE guidance on mask-wearing for studentsreturningafter testing positive for the coronavirus and undergoing quarantine will also remain in effect.

In the fall of 2020, the Catholic schools of the archdiocese forged ahead of the public schools in returning to full-time in-person instruction, with protocols in place to minimize transmission of the virus. These measures included requirements for social distancing and frequent sanitization as well as masking. While some regulations have been relaxed since then, mask-wearing has remained a requirement until this month.

Before the start of the 2021-2022 school year, each archdiocesan Catholic school was authorized to develop its own masking policy; however, they could not require vaccinated individuals to wear masks indoors. But that plan changed in light of decisions by the Baker administration and department of education requiring all public-school students aged five and older wear masks as the new academic year began.

"We are proud of our decision to keep our Catholic schools open and doing so in a way that has kept our students, faculty, and staff safe during the global pandemic," Carroll said.