EV Vol. 31, No.9 -FREEEVE ER TT A household word in Everett for 30 years! ADDOCCO TEAT www.advocatenews.net Free Every Friday 617-387-2200 Friday, March 4, 2022 Everett Chamber $10K Raffl e Dinner Great Success Banking with a hometown touch. Open a free checking account with no monthly fees, and get access to Mobile Banking, Bill Pay and other features. Because no matter where you go, we’re right by you. Call or visit us to sign up. 419 BROADWAY, EVERETT MA 02149 61 7-38 7 - 1 1 10 7 7 1 SALEM ST, LYNNFIELD, MA 01940 781-7 76- 4444 WWW.EVERET TBANK . COM DYNAMIC DUO: Master of Ceremonies Colin Kelly and Everett Chamber of Commerce President Dan Cameron welcome the attendees during the annual $10,000 Raffl e Dinner at Spinelli’s in Lynnfi eld on Tuesday evening. See next week’s edition for photo highlights. (Advocate photo) Right by you. Member FDIC Member DIF School offi cials vote to lift mask mandate By Christopher Roberson SINCE 1921 Messinger Insurance Agency 475 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 Phone: 617-387-2700 Fax: 617-387-7753 NEW COMPETITIVE AUTO RATES AND BENEFITS AVAILABLE ACCIDENT FORGIVENESS DISAPPEARING COLLISION DEDUCTIBLE 11% DISCOUNT WITH SUPPORTING POLICY 10% COMBINED PAY IN FULL DISCOUNT AND GREEN DISCOUNT 10% GOOD STUDENT DISCOUNT Celebrating 100 years of excellence! Monday thru Friday: 8am to 6pm Saturdays 9am to 1pm! Check out our NEW website! www.messingerinsurance.com F or the first time in nearly two years, Everett students can go to school without masks. The decision was the result of a 5-2 vote by the School Committee to discontinue the district’s mask mandate. During the February 28 meeting, School Committee Member-at-Large Samantha Lambert originally suggested that the mandate remain in eff ect until March 14. “Everett is still not out of the woods; a number of people have traveled,” she said. Lambert reminded her colleagues that following Winter Break the number of COVID-19 cases jumped to 582 for Everett residents in the 0-19 age bracket. She also said there is a five-day waiting period to determine if someone has tested positive or negative for the virus. Superintendent of Schools Priya Tahiliani agreed with Lambert’s proposal to keep the mandate in place until March 14. “I think that’s a prudent plan as of now,” she said, adding that the School Committee was not under any time constraints. “There are no deadlines in play.” However, after consulting with city health offi cials and representatives from Cambridge Health Alliance, School Committee Vice Chairperson Michael McLaughlin said it would be safe to lift the mandate immediately. Unlike January’s staggering numbers, 37 cases of COVID-19 were reported between February 1 and February 24 for the 0-19 age bracket. “I feel strongly that we should relax this mandate,” said McLaughlin, adding that students and teachers should still have the option of wearing a mask. Ward 1 School Committee Member Millie Cardello said the mandate has been detrimental to students’ social and VOTE | SEE PAGE 10
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