60 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • OCTOBER 2021
“Neither the health commissioner nor
the new governor, Kathy Hochul, have
the power to establish a statewide mask
mandate policy as an emergency health
measure,” Massapequa School Board
President Kerry Wachter said in a
statement.
A handful of other U.S. states, such as
Iowa and Florida, have passed a law
that forbids cities, counties and local
school districts from requiring people
to wear face masks that protect against
the spread of the coronavirus.
The governors of some states have
said that such rules of mask mandates
infringe on personal liberty, while
proponents of mask mandates say
mask-wearing is needed to combat surging
cases, fueled by the more contagious
Delta variant, which has disrupted the
reopening of schools across the country.
New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul
issued a mask mandate for schools in
New York when she took offi ce on Aug.
24, in hopes of keeping schools open
and students and teachers safe, she said.
“My top priority is to get children back
to school and protect the environment
so they can learn, and everyone is
safe,” Hochul said in a statement. “We
are now issuing guidance to make
sure our school staff are vaccinated or
tested regularly for themselves and
their families, our students, and our
communities. Our children deserve to
be safe and protected in schools, and I
am doing everything in my power to
guarantee that.”
On the other side of the aisle, Rep. Lee
Zeldin (R-Shirley) has been outspoken
against kids wearing masks in schools,
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and attended “unmask our kids” rallies
with Long Island parents in the summer.
The congressman, who aims to
challenge Hochul for the governor’s
seat next year, has attacked her mask
mandate on social media, saying, “New
governor, same absurd, unscientifi c,
power-hungry mandates.”
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention sounded alarms on Aug. 2
with a report that the Delta variant
is as contagious as chicken pox and
can be passed on by people who are
vaccinated. The report also found that
pediatric hospitalizations soared over
the summer of 2021, attributed to the
spread of the Delta variant.
New York State United Teachers President
Andy Pallotta applauded Hochul’s
universal masking and vaccination
policies for schools.
“We support universal mask-wearing
as part of a layered mitigation strategy
that also includes robust Covid testing,
contact tracing, proper ventilation
and other strategies recommended by
public health experts,” Pallotta said.
“We also support the governor’s move
to require regular Covid testing for
school staff who are not yet vaccinated.
It’s critical that educators continue to
have a voice in the implementation of
vaccine requirements and other Covid
policies at the local level.”
State Commissioner of Education Dr.
Betty A. Rosa agreed, saying: “The
State Education Department supports
a consistent application of masking
requirements in schools, easing the
return to school with a common line
of defense against the spread of the
Covid variant.”
-With Reuters, Tim Bolger
continued from page 59
A child wears a face mask on the first day of New York City schools, amid
the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic in Brooklyn, New York, U.S. September
13, 2021. (REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)
/LONGISLANDPRESS.COM
