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Gov. Hochul ends state mask mandate in
schools; city to lift requirements March 7
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | MARCH 4 - MARCH 10, 2022 15
BY ISABEL SONG BEER
Mayor Eric Adams doubled
down on his decision to prioritize
student and school safety
using revolutionary new
safety technology to prevent
school violence and reiterated
his commitment to ensuring
safety for all schoolchildren in
the city.
During a press conference
on Feb. 23, Mayor Adams
commented on his soon-tobe
announced plan for implementing
a new security device
for testing that allows law enforcement
to identify guns and
weapons in a “humane way.”
“If we see the need to make
modifications, we are open to
doing that,” Adams said during
the press conference. “We
must be smarter. I’m going to
be rolling out in a few days a
device that we are testing that
allows us in a humane way to
identify guns and weapons.
Everyone is asking about this
device, but we want to make
sure we test it properly and we
are currently in the process of
testing it, and we are going to
place it in schools so we can
do a better job at identifying
weapons.”
This announcement follows
an incident at New York City
Lab Middle School for Collaborative
Studies in Chelsea,
Manhattan, where a student
was apprehended with a backpack
full of weapons.
Many families in schools
across NYC have had serious
concerns with safety in
schools, on top of contending
with student health during a
global pandemic.
In response to these concerns,
the NYC Department of
Education issued a statement
on Feb. 3.
“Bullying has no place in
our schools, and all incidents
of bullying should be immediately
reported to a caring adult
at the school or through our
online complaint portal,” the
statement read. “Our schools
must be sanctuaries for our
young people as they grow academically
and socially, and our
school staff work hand-in-hand
every day with outstanding
School Safety Agents to provide
safe, supportive environments
for every student. We’ve
instituted a range of measures
to support the needs and safety
of both students and the school
community, including working
with Youth Community
Officers and hiring additional
school aides, social workers
and sub paraprofessionals.”
Even before his inauguration,
Mayor Adams was adamant
on prioritizing the safety
of students in schools, saying
he would up the ante on security
measures to combat weapons
on campus and violence.
“I was one of the few candidates
that did not support removing
school safety agents,”
Adams said. “I’m a big believer
in them. They serve a major
role and if we feel the need
to boost the numbers we are
going to do so.”
Following this statement,
Mayor Adams was asked about
the possibility that students
may be bringing weapons to
school because they themselves
don’t feel safe and feel
the need to take their safety
into their own hands.
In response to this, Mayor
Adams said he found the notion
of students bringing
weapons to school on the basis
of self-defense an unnecessary
and unsafe move.
“I hear that often students
bringing weapons intended for
self-defense, and I sat down
with a group of rappers that
were in the drill rap industry
and they stated that many people
are carrying guns because
they feel afraid, and I said to
them, ‘That is not acceptable. I
am not going to tolerate that. I
am not going to reason you carrying
a weapon just because
you feel afraid.’ My job is to
make everybody feel safe, but
we are not going to give in to
the belief that if we feel afraid
that we are going to carry a
gun.”
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
The statewide mask mandate
in schools will expire on
Wednesday, March 2, and New
York City plans to lift its requirement
on March 7 if cases
remain low, the governor and
mayor said Sunday, Feb. 27.
Governor Kathy Hochul first
announced her plans to drop the
rules for face coverings as COVID
19 infections and hospitalizations
have dropped over the past
month and following new guidance
from Washington.
“My friends, the day has
come. Today we are going to be
announcing that we’ll be lifting
the statewide mask requirement
in schools,” Hochul said during
a Feb. 27 press conference Sunday
morning in Albany.
State officials chose to give
schools and PTAs enough time
to get ready for the changes after
the federal Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention
dropped its new guidance to
determine COVID-19 prevention
measures.
The state will leave it up to
local counties whether they still
want to keep masks on inside
schools, the governor said, especially
in those areas of the Empire
State where infection rates
remain higher.
“We will allow them the flexibility
to determine what’s best
for their county,” Hochul said.
“We would encourage them to
take a look at this and follow the
CDC but this will no longer be a
mandate.”
Mayor Eric Adams released
a statement Sunday, Feb. 27,
saying that the city plans to end
both indoor masking for schools
and its requirements to show
proof of vaccination at businesses
— also known as Key2NYC —
if case counts remain low this
week.
“At the end of this week, we
will evaluate the numbers and
make a final announcement on
Friday,” Adams said. “If we see
no unforeseen spikes and our
numbers continue to show a low
level of risk, New York City will
remove the indoor mask mandate
for public schoolchildren,
effective next Monday, March 7.”
“Additionally, New York
City’s numbers continue to go
down day after day, so, as long
as COVID indicators show a
low level of risk and we see no
surprises this week, on Monday,
March 7, we will also lift
Key2NYC requirements,” hizzoner
said. “This will give business
owners the time to adapt
and will allow us to ensure
we are making the best public
health decisions for the people
of New York.”
New York City officials announced
that they will lift the
outdoor mask mandate for
schools Monday, Feb. 28.
Read more on
PoliticsNY.com.
Governor Kathy Hochul announces the end of the indoor mask
mandate in schools during a press conference in Albany on Feb.
27. Photo by Mike Groll/Offi ce of Governor Kathy Hochul
Mayor Bill de Blasio applauds a team of school safety agents in
Brooklyn in August 2014. Photo by NYC Mayoral Photography Unit
Adams doubles down on student, school safety
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