MASSAPEQUA, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — The Massapequa School Board on Wednesday announced it will not require students to wear face coverings while attending classes this year.
As the delta variant continues to surge throughout the country, more and more municipalities are issuing new mask guidance for indoor businesses and activities.
However, Massapequa school officials are taking a different approach and voted not require students to wear masks when they return to in-person classes in a few weeks – a decision that some parents are applauding.
"I'm 100% for what the school board is fighting for: our rights to choose," Dana Durso, a parent of two girls, ages 5 and 9, told WCBS 880.
The board has also decided there is no need to have desk protectors in classrooms and is mandating that there be no remote option for students. Protectors, however, will remain in place in the cafeteria and masks will be required on school buses.
"I'm not going to sit there and say that everything should be 100% normal. I get it, we still have situations going on," Durso said. "But these kids are doing phenomenal jobs. They've been in camp, and they've listened. They know not to put their hands in their mouths. I mean we're living it. Let the kids be kids."
She noted Nassau County has a high enough vaccination rate that she believes the children will be safe returning to schools without COVID regulations. She added that teachers will also be required to get vaccinated, and that will likely protect them as well.
The president of the school board told WCBS 880 the reason behind the decision was the lack COVID spread in the districts' summer programs and camps. The board feels social distancing, ventilation and sanitation are the best way to keep students safe.
If the new governor mandates masks in schools, changes could be made. However, the board will try to maintain local control.
The district is still recommending that students wear masks, but it is ultimately the parents' decisions.
Meanwhile, Garden City Schools Superintendent Kusum Sinha sent an email to parents on Thursday noting that masks will be required in their community.
"Knowing our students are going to be only 3 ft apart, knowing the spread that is occurring in other parts of the country where school has opened without masks, and taking into account the Nassau County Health Commissioner's statement that COVID cases will likely spike next month, I recommended to our Board of Education that we start the school year with everyone wearing masks," Sinha said in a statement.
Other aspects of the school experience, however, will return to normal in Garden City, including extracurricular activities, field trips, school performances and more.
Sinha notes that the school will continue to follow the COVID situation throughout the year and hopes to "move as quickly as possible to remove masks."
