Mask mandate likely for schools, Hochul says

Meanwhile, some schools have already announced that face masks are required this fall.

And now incoming New York governor and current Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul weighed in this week, indicating she thinks students, teachers and staff will be wearing masks this fall.

"I believe that there will end up being mask mandates," she told the "Today" show Thursday. "I just don't have the authority at this moment."

Her comments come the week after state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said the long-awaited guidance from his department would not be coming and schools should look to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local health departments for guidelines. 

Parents are vocal on both sides of the mask issue. 

"Is there really a debate here?" one father told the Williamsville School Board this week. "Covid is real. Masks protect you."

"Can you show us any evidence that masks work?" another parent asked, adding "vaccines are much more sinister."

Vaccines have proven safe and highly effective in preventing severe Covid-19 symptoms; masks have been proven to reduce the risk of transmitting the airborne virus from person to person, particularly in indoor settings. 

After New York State said it would not provide guidelines for schools, most school leaders looked to their county health departments. Erie County is expected to release information for schools soon.

In light of the vacuum created by the state Health Department, the state Education Department Thursday afternoon released a summary of guidelines based on the recommendations of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics. It includes a number of strategies, including universal masking in schools regardless of vaccination status, to reduce the spread of Covid. The Health and Safety Guide describes a range of strategies schools can use to lower the risk to students and staff while preparing to open in a few weeks.

“Reopening amidst a pandemic for the second consecutive year is truly a daunting task. Our hope is that this guide, coupled with the input of local health officials will help the state’s education community as they prepare for September,” Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said in a statement. 

Local health officials also will be looking to the CDC.

"We are working with the Erie County Department of Health. They, just like the New York State Education Department, will be following the CDC guidelines and appropriate guidelines," Williamsville Superintendent Darren J. Brown-Hall said at a School Board meeting Tuesday, before Hochul made her comments.

Williamsville, like many districts, is surveying parents about back to school issues, but the district did not include a question about masks.

"It's really important that we don’t get in the mindset of thinking the most responses win, because there is no winner with whatever decision is made," Brown-Hall said. "There are going to be groups of people who are not happy, period."

As each day passes, it is a day closer to the first day of school.

"As soon as they communicate with us, we’ll be communicating with you," West Seneca Superintendent Matthew Bystrak said in a video update this week.

Bystrak said West Seneca will not require vaccinations for students, but he asked parents to let school nurses know if their children are vaccinated to help in the contact tracing process.

Niagara Falls Public Schools had already announced that it was strongly recommending, but not mandating, masks in school. Superintendent Mark Laurrie said the district is working with Niagara and Orleans County health officials to come up with metrics that would look at transmission rates and require various mitigation measures depending on the rates.

"That's all subject to change when you hear the incoming governor," Laurrie said. "It just keeps putting us in the middle."

He said the plan was to tell students and staff to keep a mask with them at all times, because it could be needed in halls or in classrooms, depending on transmission rates.

East Aurora Superintendent Brian D. Russ told School Board members a quick survey of students at summer school, where masks were not required, showed about 30% of elementary students and 10% of students at the high school wore masks.

"I’ll be honest. I don’t want kids to wear masks. I don’t think anybody wants kids or adults, any of us want to wear masks," he said at Wednesday's School Board meeting. "but we have always looked to the professionals for our guidance."

The Park School is requiring all faculty and staff to be vaccinated, and will require universal masking inside school. Buffalo Public Schools announced Monday that everyone inside school buildings must wear a face covering. 

"The highly contagious and currently dominant Covid Delta variant continues to create unpredictable conditions for all school districts and, therefore, our plans may change or be amended," Superintendent Kriner Cash said in a letter to families.