Hochul says that as governor, she'll work to require masks in schools

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul says the state has the authority to mandate masks at schools, and she plans to work with state health officials to require masks in schools once she becomes governor next week.

Hochul, a Democrat, is set to take office as New York’s first female governor on Tuesday, when Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will resign after an independent investigation alleged he sexually harassed at least 11 women.

Her assertion about masks in schools is in contrast to guidance from Cuomo, who earlier this month said he lacked the legal authority to impose mask mandates on his own.

"In a matter of days, I’ll be able to say we will have mask mandates," Hochul said in Queens on Wednesday. "I just don’t have that authority at this time, when I’m not going to overstep."

Hochul was emphasizing that as soon as she becomes governor, she will work with the state Department of Health to require masks in schools to help increase the safety of students, teachers and staff, according to a spokesperson for her office Thursday.

Hochul said nearly all school leaders and superintendents she had spoken with support a mask mandate in schools. She said the state could end up lifting a statewide school mask mandate in areas with lower positivity rates.

"Mask mandates are something that the Department of Health has the authority to call for," Hochul said, later adding: "I believe that we’ll need mask mandates for children to go back to schools and that’ll have to be universal, it’ll be statewide."

Reaction on LI

Local reaction was varied.

Port Washington Superintendent Michael Hynes said he liked the idea of a statewide school mandate on masks. "I think almost every superintendent in New York will be thrilled," Hynes said. "It takes that issue off our collective laps."

He added, "It's good to see strong leadership."

Hynes noted that his district planned to require masks for students and staff.

Richard Haase, an English teacher at Candlewood Middle School in Dix Hills, also agreed that statewide school masking would help fight the virus.

Haase said it makes no sense to have districts with different policies on masking, since the virus doesn't respect such borders. He also spoke against politics driving such decisions.

"Trying to define what is a regional issue as a local issue, because of local politics, is wrong," said Haase, who is also head of the Half Hollow Hills district's teachers union.

Schools have two priorities as students return to classes, keeping them in school for live instruction and keeping them safe, he said.

"I understand parents want to make decisions for their kids, but nothing should get in the way of those two priorities," Hasse said.

Some school officials didn't want to comment on the issue.

Robert Dillon, superintendent of Nassau BOCES, said his district has been wearing masks indoors and will continue to do so. But he didn't want to weigh in on the state issue.

"I have enough trouble running my own place," he said.

Noret Bazemore, a Freeport mother with two children in the schools, praised Hochul's comments.

"I think it's a great idea," Bazemore said. "Until the pandemic is done, it's not done. So masks should be a requirement."

Some parents have said requiring masks infringes on their personal freedoms.

Claude Birong, a parent in Carle Place, said he understands the government must put some requirements in place, but he believes this mask decision should be left to parents and the local school boards.

"This is something that is never going away," he said of the virus. Masking, he said, "is doing more harm to kids than helping them."

Birong said he believes most masks — unless they are N95 masks — don't prevent the spread of the virus.

"I have a kid with horrible allergies. It's torture for him every day," Birong said.

He believes the issue has become political, to the point where wearing masks is "about who's in power."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.

Shawn Farash, a leader of the conservative group Long Island Loud Majority, said he also opposes a statewide mandate for masks in schools.

"The parents are the real experts on this," Farash said. "Nobody knows these kids better than the parents and their communities."

The decision on school masking should be left to the individual school boards, he said.

No guidance from NY this summer

Lawmakers this year let Cuomo's emergency COVID-19 powers expire in light of investigations into allegations that the governor had abused his executive power, including by sexually harassing women.

This summer, Cuomo's administration decided not to release long-promised back-to-school COVID-19 guidance — which school leaders had expected to include recommendations about mask-wearing.

This month, New York Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker announced that, with the state disaster emergency over, "school districts are reestablished as the controlling entity for schools. Schools and school districts should develop plans to open in-person in the fall as safely as possible, and I recommend following guidance from the CDC and local health departments."

After the announcement that the state would not be issuing guidance, state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa wrote a letter to Zucker asking for his department to reconsider its position.

"Surely there has never been a greater nuisance affecting public health … than COVID-19," the letter read. "Nor has there been a greater need for timely advice and supervision flowing from the Department of Health to elected officials."

Suffolk County has issued guidance that all students and staff should be masked when classes resume, while Nassau County has said each district should make its own decision.

"I continue to believe that our school districts are in the best position to make decisions for their students, faculty and community, but we welcome any additional guidance that the state may provide," Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said in a statement Thursday.

Many doctors said decisions on masking should be left to medical experts, not school officials and politicians, and that masks are critical to helping stop the spread of the virus.

Some districts, including Syosset, Jericho and Roosevelt, already have announced they would mandate masks. Others have suggested they would make masks optional. In the Massapequa district, masks are "strongly recommended" indoors but not required.

Supporters of a mask mandate have pointed out that all children under 12 aren't yet eligible for vaccination, and that wearing a mask can help protect students, staff and families at a time of heightened COVID-19 transmission.

Cuomo's office didn't respond to a request for comment.

With AP, Bart Jones, Joie Tyrrell and Dandan Zou

By Craig Schneider

craig.schneider@newsday.comScraigo

Craig Schneider is a Long Island native and Stony Brook University alumnus. He joined Newsday as a general assignment reporter in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.