NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Incoming Gov. Kathy Hochul said she supports mandatory mask-wearing in schools across the state during a tour of PS 143 The Louis Armstrong School in Queens Wednesday with City Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter.
Hochul said she will explore the policy for education facilities — regardless of vaccination status — after she takes office next week.
“There is a tremendous amount of anxiety among parents, teachers, administrators, who thought what we went through last year would be it, that there would be closure, that by the time the school year started in 2021 we'd be in a different place,” Hochul said at the school in Corona.
“We thought we were there a few months ago, the delta variant has changed the dynamic considerably, so we have to continue being vigilant,” she said. “But, number one, our children need to be back in schools.”
Hochul is spending time in New York City, meeting with Mayor de Blasio and other officials to discuss issues before being sworn into office Tuesday, Aug. 24.
De Blasio’s Department of Education has already announced that masks will be required in schools come this fall.
Hochul added that schools will have to boost mental health services to help children cope with the trauma of the past year.
“We’re going to need mental health services for our children who just are not dealing with what they went through and those who’ve seen family members get sick,” Hochul said.