Board of ed crafts letter to Governor Hochul advocating for optional masking in schools

Near the end of this past Thursday’s board of education meeting, just before the scheduled public comment section, Superintendent Robert Banzer read aloud a letter he said trustees would sign and send to the state, advocating for optional masking in schools.

“Since our schools opened in September, there has been negligible spread of COVID-19 within school buildings despite the reduction of social distancing to three feet and the removal of desk barriers,” the letter begins. “We have followed the mask mandate and other protocols mandated by the state.

“As we continue to see a decline in cases and lack of spread within schools, we ask that you work in tandem with our local health department to provide districts with clear metrics so we can determine an appropriate time to make mask wearing optional within schools,” the letter stated.

As Mr. Banzer read the final lines of the letter, many of the meeting's 20 in-person viewers clapped and cheered in appreciation, noting later in the time reserved for public comment their gratitude for the board’s initiative. The letter was met with acceptance among board trustees as well; while there was much deliberation regarding the language and syntax of the letter, the sentiment remained the same throughout.

A copy of the revised letter will be sent to Governor Kathy Hochul; incoming NYS Commissioner of the Department of Health Dr. Mary Bassett; Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone; Commissioner of Suffolk County’s Department of Health Services Dr. Gregson H. Pigott; President of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association Michael Kelly; and the New York State School Boards Association. The letter will be signed by all seven board of education trustees and Superintendent Banzer.

This is now the second time the board will have sent a letter to the state regarding masks. Back in June 2021, when infection rates dipped below 1% in Suffolk County, the district wrote to former Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York State Department of Health Commissioner Howard Zucker seeking the removal of the mask mandate. As cases rose sharply in July and August, the district willingly complied with a mask mandate, with the “understanding that stopping the spread of COVID-19 should be prioritized.”

With Suffolk County’s seven-day average infection rate currently falling at roughly 2.4%, according to the NYSDOH, the board is once again seeking a move “forward towards normalcy, while still putting health and safety first.”

The Board also cited Suffolk County’s increased access to vaccines, with the shot now available to all ages 5 and above, as reason to make masks optional. Currently, 74% of Suffolk County residents have received one dose of the vaccine, with 67% fully vaccinated.

With what the board called a “negligible spread of COVID-19 within school buildings,” coupled with Suffolk County’s vaccination percentages, the letter gave Gov. Hochul and her fellow recipients a call to action: “Now that we once again find ourselves with a significantly low infection rate and lack of spread within buildings, we are requesting that you reevaluate the need for such a [mask] mandate.”

Many of those community members who spoke during the meeting’s public comment section gave the letter their seal of approval. One Northport resident, Joseph Stewart, said: “The letter was very nice. Thank you for trying to do it. You [the board] didn't create this pandemic, it landed on you, and it’s been a tough time for a lot of people. It’s uncharted waters. The letter was very good. Thank you.”

The signed letter will be posted on the district website by this coming week, reported Superintendent Banzer.

The next board of education meeting is scheduled for November 18. In a follow-up recap of the meeting sent on Friday, November 5, Mr. Banzer noted the following changes to future meetings: All BOE meetings will return to the William J. Brosnan building moving forward. The meetings will continue to be livestreamed, “however public participation will no longer be offered remotely. Residents who wish to address the board may do so in-person at meetings or send the Board of Education an email.”