Students in the Old Rochester Regional school district will no longer have to wear masks as of Feb. 28 following a Joint School Committee vote Tuesday, Feb. 15.

Committee members agreed to rescind the mask mandate as recommended by the Department of Secondary and Elementary Education, during an emergency meeting of the Old Rochester Regional District School Committee, which oversees the district’s secondary schools and the School Superintendency Union 55, which is responsible for the elementary grades.

The vote followed a three-hour discussion of the issue, which included comments from community members and the release of survey results that showed strong public support for removing the mask mandate.

Students can still opt to wear masks and are required to wear them on buses, by federal mandate, and in health offices. 

Removing the mandate received the support of more than 78 percent of the school district who responded to a survey, including staff members and students’ families, according to results presented by Superintendent of Schools Michael Nelson. Nearly 2,000 responses were received, he said. 

That same sentiment was echoed in public comments prior to the vote. 

“This masking has to end,’’ said Richard Riley of Mattapoisett, who argued that masks are ineffective.

“We have to go on to the next stage, to allow our children to interact normally,’’ said Sarah Bernier of Rochester.

Not everyone agreed. Old Rochester Regional High School student Allison Ward said that wearing a mask is “the easiest thing we can do’’ to stop the spread of covid and to keep people safe.

Much of the debate among committee members concerned whether to abide by the Feb. 28 date for ending the mandate or to provide more time for families to prepare and to ease concerns about possible case counts rising when the February vacation ends.

Committee member Jim Muse proposed waiting a few weeks after the end of the vacation to register what impact the time off might have. Making a change the day students return from vacation would be “imprudent,’’ he said.

But others pointed out that the committee had followed Department of Secondary and Elementary Education guidelines throughout the pandemic and questioned why they would change direction now.

“The fact that the governor has dropped the mandate should be enough for this committee,’’ Tara Tracy of Marion said. Gov. Charlie Baker said easing the mandate would represent a step toward a return to normalcy in the schools. 

Nelson told committee members that he would continue to monitor case numbers and work in conjunction with health officials. 

“We will do everything we can to support all students, all staff members and all families,’’ he said.