The mask mandate in New York schools will continue until at least early March, and that's disappointing to some school leaders who were hoping for a firm date and metrics for lifting the mandate.
Others see wisdom in waiting until after the mid-winter break to take the Covid-19 pulse of students and teachers. And political reaction ranges from disappointment to harsh criticism.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said she wants to send home rapid testing kits with children before they go on break the week of Feb. 21.
"We want them to test the day after they come back and again three days later and let the school know if your child tests positive and keep them home," she said.
During the week of Feb. 28, the state will be looking at the reports of Covid-19 positive cases in students as well as cases per 100,000 population; percent positivity; hospital admissions, including pediatric admissions; vaccination rates; and global trends on the coronavirus, Hochul said.
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She said it is a "very strong possibility" that the mandate will be lifted March 7.
"But I will factor all the data that’s gathered during that week," she said.
New Jersey is lifting its mask mandate in schools March 7, Connecticut's is scheduled to end Feb. 28 and Delaware's will be lifted at the end of March.
Hamburg Superintendent Michael Cornell, who is president of the Erie-Niagara School Superintendents Association, said the governor's decision not to lift the mandate is disappointing.
"School superintendents in Western New York continue to believe that the mask mandate should not have been extended," Cornell said.
But the leader of Western New York's largest school district said he appreciates the governor's words.
"I was pleased that she was taking a cautious approach to releasing the mask mandate from schools," Buffalo Public Schools Superintendent Kriner Cash said.
He said he thinks it is prudent that Hochul wants to wait until after the winter break, when a lot of people will be traveling out of the area, to make a final decision. Buffalo Teachers Federation President Philip Rumore is surveying teachers to see if they support keeping masks for at least two weeks after the break, until the impact of the spread of the virus during the break can be determined.
Cash said he also would like to get to warmer weather where children can go outside for recess and windows can be opened for ventilation.
"It's typically mid-March and after when that starts to happen," he said.
Cash said he wants to see more children get vaccinated, as the governor does.
And if the governor lifts the mask requirement in schools, face coverings may remain in Buffalo schools. Cash said he wants the number of cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day period to get to 50 or below. Erie County's transmission rate was 286 per 100,000 Wednesday, which is still considered a high level of transmission, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control.
Hochul said she is treating schools differently than public places like businesses and restaurants because children sit close together each day. She also said the state would use the month of February to come up with clear guidance on what schools should do if the mandate is lifted and someone tests positive in the classroom.
Cornell said school workforces are largely vaccinated, and data shows children experience overwhelmingly mild symptoms or are asymptomatic.
"Schools remain the safest place for students and staff," Cornell said.
State Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt, R-North Tonawanda, said in a statement that extending the mask mandate for schoolchildren is "absolutely outrageous."
State GOP Leader Nick Langworthy said the decision "defies logic, science and morality."
Assemblywoman Karon McMahon, D-Amherst, said based on how far we've come, she is "encouraged that schools will soon be joining businesses in a return to normalcy soon.”
State Sen. Patrick Gallivan, R-Elma, urged the State Legislature to support his proposal requiring that directives issued by an executive branch of government be approved by the respective legislative branch.
