School leaders prepare for end of mask mandate, but questions and concerns remain

The answer: Wednesday.

But there are still many other questions.

Are quarantine time frames still the same? Will unvaccinated school staff still need to be regularly tested? What about physical distancing requirements in schools and the test-to-stay program for unvaccinated children?

While they wait for those answers, which may come as soon as Tuesday, many school superintendents say the new requirements are being greeted with relief from many parents and staff, though some are concerned about the masks coming off so soon following winter break, when children may have had more exposure to Covid-19 due to travel. Some parents have also raised concerns that their children may be picked on if they want or need to continue wearing a mask in school.

"We need to be very cognizant of anyone who is bullied or shamed for wearing a mask," Niagara Falls Superintendent Mark Laurrie said. "That won’t be tolerated."

Williamsville Superintendent Darren Brown-Hall said he, too, has heard this concern from parents.

"Individuals that still want to wear a mask, they can do that," Brown-Hall said. "We’re going to respect everyone’s decisions. We’re going to support one another in our inclusive Williamsville community."

Gov. Kathy Hochul's announcement Sunday that the statewide school masking requirement would end Wednesday has left it to local counties and cities to decide whether the school mask mandates should continue. The answer for this region has been, largely, "no," although Hochul did say in response to questions that individual schools and school districts could decide to keep more restrictive policies in place.

Buffalo Public Schools, the largest school district in the region, announced late Monday that its mask mandates will stay in effect at least a few more days. The district's Medical Advisory Team will determine later this week whether the policy should be changed. 

The Erie County Health Department, following Hochul's lead and the recommendation of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said Monday that it would not require masks in school settings starting Wednesday. Other counties have made the same determinations. 

"Like every other Covid-related issue, people's feelings run across the spectrum from absolute delight with the governor’s announcement to the fact that Wednesday, for some families, and some of our staff, may be a very anxiety-provoking day," Hamburg Central School District Superintendent Michael Cornell said. 

Masks are recommended, but no longer required, for school buses. But students who use regular public transportation to get to and from school are still required to adhere to federal mask mandates that apply to all public transportation.

Hochul's announcement had school superintendents scrambling to get word to parents and staff about the change.

Brown-Hall sent out a message to families Sunday and is following up with a reminder Tuesday saying that masks are now optional for all students, but student safety remains the top priority.

While the governor had planned to wait until the end of this week to make an announcement about face coverings in school, her timetable changed after the CDC issued new guidance late Friday. Robert N. Lowry Jr., deputy director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, said it became clear that waiting was not an option.

"We felt that absent some kind of announcement from the state that there would be mass confusion," he said.

Orchard Park Superintendent David Lilleck wrote in a note to parents, "This is good news as we enter the endemic stage of the pandemic and continue to move towards more normalcy for our children."

Laurrie, the Niagara Falls city schools superintendent, said he has received no negative feedback about the lifting of the mask mandate, but did field a couple of calls from parents whose children are unvaccinated and wanted to make sure there would be no problems if their children kept wearing their masks to school.

"I am sensitive to that, particularly in this first week," said Laurrie, who sent robocalls and posted a YouTube video on the school district website regarding the coming mask-wearing change.

He and other superintendents also reiterated the ongoing availability of Covid-19 rapid tests and KN95 masks for students, as well as the need for sick children to continue to stay home and report if they test positive. 

The statewide rules regarding mask mandates for students and staff in kindergarten through high school are leading local colleges and universities to re-evaluate their own on-campus mask mandates.

Both the University at Buffalo and Canisius College issued statements saying that, at least for now, masking requirements will continue.

"Decisions about whether to relax mask requirements at UB will be made in collaboration with SUNY and the county health department based on CDC guidance and on the prevalence of the virus at the university and within the local community," UB stated. "Any changes to UB's guidelines will be promptly communicated to the university community. For now, the university will continue to require masking indoors at UB and on UB buses in accordance with our current guidelines."

Buffalo Public Schools spokesman Ka'Ron Barnes said the city school district's medical advisory team was meeting with the Erie County Health Department to determine steps forward. 

Buffalo Teachers Federation President Philip Rumore said his teachers had hoped the state would let a week or two pass after children returned from the mid-winter break, since symptoms can lag. He also said teachers were interested to know what the vaccination rate of children in the district currently is.

In Western New York, 59% of children ages 12 to 17, and 32% of children ages 5 to 11 are considered fully vaccinated, according the the New York State Department of Health. In Erie County, 63% of children ages 12 to 17, and 36% of children ages 5 to 11 are considered fully vaccinated.

The vaccination rates among children in Niagara County are even lower. Laurrie said, however, that it is clear that positive cases among students are coming from the community and very rarely through classroom transmission.

In the Niagara Falls city school district, which did not have last week off for mid-winter break, Laurrie said that there were only six confirmed cases of Covid-19 over the last 10 days.

"That’s back to September numbers," he said.