For the first day of the lifting of the mask mandate, about half of the students attended Hopkinton High School with their masks on, according to Superintendent Carol Cavanaugh in an interview Monday afternoon.

Before the implementation of the mask-optional policy for COVID-19 vaccinated individuals, Cavanaugh said that parents were asked to upload a copy of the proof of vaccination as well as a permission slip.

“It’s been super, in all honesty,” she said in an interview Monday. “At this point in time, we have about 651 kids who have submitted paperwork out of 1,200.”

Concerns had been raised at prior School Committee meetings and by the Hopkinton Teachers Association about whether students with masks might face bullying, but that has not materialized at Hopkinton High School, she noted.

“It’s funny when you walk into a classroom right now and some kids have them and some kids don’t,” Cavanaugh said. “But you know what I like about it? I like that kids are making decisions where they don’t feel pressured to take their masks off. If it’s a 50/50 split, people can feel really comfortable about it.”