Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul says 'everyone' in schools should wear masks

Incoming New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday that children should wear masks in school to stop the spread of COVID-19, though it is unclear whether she would have the power to issue a mandate.

"My view is people and children and everyone in a school environment will be wearing masks," Lt. Gov. Hochul said on NBC’s "Today" show.

"That's just an opinion right now. I don't have the authority to make that the policy and we're going to leave it up to the school districts right now, but we're going to monitor this closely," she said. But "I believe that there’ll end up being mask mandates."

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who said Tuesday he was resigning Aug. 24, issued COVID-19-related mandates during the pandemic under emergency powers granted to him by the State Legislature, but those powers have expired.

In wading into the mask debate, Hochul enters an arena with sharply divided opinions. Suffolk County has issued guidance that all students and staff should be masked when classes resume, while Nassau County has said each district should make its own decision.

Some parents said requiring masks infringes on their personal freedoms. Many doctors said decisions on masking should be left to medical experts, not school officials and politicians, and that masks are critical to helping stop the spread of the virus.

Some school districts, including Syosset and Roosevelt, already have announced they would mandate masks. Others, including Commack and Middle Country, have suggested they would make masks optional.

Hochul stressed that she would work with school district officials as well as parents and teachers on the issue.

"I’m watching those numbers like a hawk," she said, adding that she will be flexible and make policy based on the data as it evolves.

Hochul said she would draw on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and all available COVID-19 data. "Also, we need to be talking to the school districts as well," she added. "That hasn’t happened in the past, and it’s the way I think it should be. To find out what’s their anxiety. Why there’s any objection to this."

Suffolk released a statement late Monday saying the county recommends schools follow CDC guidance, which says students should wear masks when school resumes in the next few weeks.

"Mask guidance remains unchanged from the end of the prior school year in June 2021 consistent with CDC recommendations," the county said in a statement from Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson H. Pigott and County Executive Steve Bellone.

"Per existing CDC guidance, all students, staff and visitors must wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. Mask wearing is not required outdoors."

But Nassau officials are not advising schools on the mask issue.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran on Thursday stood by comments she made last week that the decision should be made by school officials.

"Nassau County is committed to keeping our kids in the classroom and our Department of Health stands ready to work with school officials to help guide them with any public health protocols they choose to put in place," Curran said in a statement Thursday.

"Our schools have done a fantastic job navigating this pandemic and I continue to firmly believe that our school districts are in the best position to make these decisions. We welcome any additional guidance that the state may provide."

Dr. Eve Meltzer Krief, a pediatrician in Huntington who is also a local representative of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said this week that "school district superintendents have no place in making the public health decisions that affect the health and well-being of the children. Those decisions should be made by public health experts and pediatricians."

She added: "We demand that the school districts mask the children," a position taken nationwide by the academy.

Last week, New York Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker announced that, with the state disaster emergency over, "school districts are reestablished as the controlling entity for schools. Schools and school districts should develop plans to open in-person in the fall as safely as possible, and I recommend following guidance from the CDC and local health departments."

Some Long Island parents and teachers had mixed reactions to Hochul's comments.

Jenine Sarich, who teaches English at Half Hollow Hills High School West in Dix Hills, is still on the fence about masking in schools.

The Half Hollow Hills school district has not announced its reopening plans, but a board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 23.

"It’s so hard to teach with the mask on," Sarich said. "It’s so hard to conduct business as usual with the kids, too, because they don’t really want to talk when they’ve got the mask on."

Sarich said not seeing her students’ full faces added another layer of difficulty to teaching.

"You can’t pick up on those facial [cues]. The kids can’t read me as well, and I can’t read them, without the lower portion of the face," she said.

But Sarich also is concerned about the delta variant and, she said, the need "to err on the side of caution."

"It’s going to be another tough year," she said. "Even though I’m not happy about wearing a mask, I guess it’s the safest."

Vivian Luk, of Albertson, said she welcomed Hochul’s message, and having a mask mandate would make her feel more comfortable sending her two children to Searingtown Elementary.

The Herricks school district will require masks this year, a spokesperson said Thursday.

"I will be thrilled if masks are mandated," the mother of three said. "I know a lot of people [will] not. But those people sometimes … go on the news after the fact to say I should’ve gotten vaccinated, or I should’ve worn a mask. I’m not one for the consequences to regret the decision I make. I hope everybody does the same. They have their own kids in school. They should care about the safety of other kids and other families."

With AP