LI school districts distribute test kits as Hochul's mask mandate decision looms

School districts on Long Island were distributing thousands of COVID-19 home test kits on Thursday and Friday, with Gov. Kathy Hochul planning to use the results to help determine whether to end a mask mandate.

Districts were using a mix of methods to hand out the kits, with some sending them home with students, others telling families to pick them up, and still others not giving clear signals about their distribution plans.

At least one public health expert said he thought the hodgepodge approach, and the fact the tests are not mandatory, would not provide much helpful data for the governor.

One school superintendent on Long Island said he likely would not lift the mandate in his district immediately even if Hochul does so soon, while another said he would take action after the governor makes her decision.

Hochul has said she hopes to decide on the future of the hotly contested school mask mandate by the first week of March.

She has said she envisions students getting tested right as the winter break ends on Feb. 28, and then again three days later. That would give her some sense of how much infection spread during the break, and how soon she might lift the mandate.

The Brentwood School District sent home 20,000 tests with students on Wednesday and Thursday, and officials hope the results lead to the end of the mandate.

"I am hoping that we are coming out of" the pandemic, said Brentwood Superintendent Richard Loeschner. "Obviously, the percentage of positive cases has decreased dramatically here in Brentwood as well as in Suffolk County."

"I have lots of families that are interested in having it lifted altogether, and others that don’t" want it to be lifted, preferring that masks at least remain optional, he added.

He expects most families to use the tests, he said. They are being asked to test their children on Feb. 27, the day before they return to class.

The Freeport School District sent 6,900 test kits home with students, but is leaving it up to the families as far as when to use them, said Superintendent Kishore Kuncham.

He said that after evaluating all the test results, even if Hochul lifts the mask mandate, he is not sure Freeport will follow her lead immediately.

He wants to see how all the different protocols, such as social distancing, will work once masks are gone, and is also concerned about low vaccination rates among 5- to 11-year-olds.

"We are going to carefully look at it and make the decision appropriately, not rush to lift as soon as it is announced," Kuncham said. "If anything we will look at the 7 through 12 aspect differently than the K through 6."

"Spring is around the corner. I really hope we can get through a few more weeks," he added.

About 32% of children ages 5 to 11 in New York State are fully vaccinated, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The figure on Long Island is about 28%.

That compares to about 70% of 12- to 17-year-olds in New York State who are fully vaccinated. The figure on Long Island is about 69%.

In the Jericho School District, officials were sending the test kits home on Thursday with students. Families also had the option to pick them up Friday, said Superintendent Hank Grishman.

The district is asking families to contact the nurse at their child’s school if they test positive on Sunday night or Monday morning when they take the test at the end of break, Grisham said. Students should also quarantine at home for five days.

He said he has heard little from parents about the test kits, one way or the other, though people seem "tired" in general over the pandemic.

"I think there is a general tiredness with the masking," he said. "But in Jericho, there is also an appreciation that the masking is one of the reasons that we did so well through the last 24 months."

"There is some sentiment here that says, ‘We’re OK with masks right now,’" he said.

Other districts such as Bayport-Blue Point and Glen Cove left it up to families to pick up the test kits.

Dr. David Battinelli, physician-in-chief at Northwell Health, said the testing will be one tool among many that the governor will use to decide on the mandate.

The governor, he said, is seeking "a real sense of what the prevalence of the disease is in various communities."

"Once the disease drops below the magic prevalence number, and most people think it’s considerably below 2%, preferably even below 1%, then the likelihood of spread of the disease is much lessened," he said.

But Sean Clouston, an associate professor of public health at Stony Brook University, said that any data that results from the testing might be of little use, given the different approaches taken by these districts and the fact that it's not possible to mandate the tests.

The families most likely to use the tests are the ones who are more conscientious about avoiding COVID-19, he said.

It’s not clear how many families will participate in the testing, or how the results will be transmitted to the state.

Some parents are angry over the masking requirement, and have packed local school board meetings to demand that it be ditched. Opponents of continuing the mandate note that COVID-19 indicators continue to fall as the record-setting omicron surge fades.

Long Island’s seven-day average for positivity dropped to 2.81% in test results from Wednesday, according to state data

Some medical experts say it may be too early to end the mandate, especially in elementary schools. Kuncham of Freeport said he wants to see what groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend even if the governor drops the mandate.

Hochul has said the decision on lifting the mandate would be easier if more children get vaccinated. Medical experts say unvaccinated children who don't continue wearing masks will have no protection against the virus if the mask mandate is eliminated.

Battinelli said he believes Hochul will end the mandate, if current trends hold.

"We’re headed in the right direction. The mandate is going to end. We’re going to get there," he said. "The question is when."

"Once you get down to a very low prevalence rate, it get a little tough to justify a mandate," he said.

The Huntington school district last Friday sent out a letter to parents stating that their schools have an "ample supply" of tests that are "available upon request."

The Bayport-Blue Point school district sent a letter this week stating that it will not be sending the test kits home with students, but made them available for families to pick up on Thursday.

"Last week, the State suggested that students test on the day they are scheduled to return to school after the February recess and again three days later," the letter stated. "Please understand that was only a recommendation and not required.

"As a reminder, the use of the At-Home COVID testing kit is completely voluntary and is being offered free of charge for our school community members."

The Glen Cove school district said on its website it is providing two test kits to each student, and they can be picked up at the administration building.

The district said the tests can be used as a "screener" during the February break and just before returning to school.

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