Long Island school districts take stance on masks following court ruling finding it unconstitutional

A few days ago in the Massapequa School District, the district voted to make mask wearing option at the end of February.

News 12 Staff

Jan 25, 2022, 11:00 AM

Updated 821 days ago

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BREAKING UPDATE: A 2 p.m. appeals court hearing is scheduled after yesterday's decision by a state Supreme Court judge to strike down NY's mask mandate.
Original story below.
A state Supreme Court judge in Nassau County struck down the state's mask mandate Monday night, prompting Gov. Kathy Hochul to file an appeal.
However, since the ruling, about two dozen Long Island districts have scrapped their masks rules effective today.
Some school districts, like in Massapequa, told families that mask wearing would be optional today and students were already in the classroom without them.
Other districts on Long Island, including East Islip and Bay Shore, also made mask wearing optional. Many cited confused guidance as their reason to give the choice.
State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rademaker ruled Gov. Hochul could not mandate mask wearing without a vote form the state Legislature.
Meanwhile, the state Education Department told schools to keep mask requirements in effect today because when an appeal is filed, the mask order will stay in place. Many districts did do that, including Jericho and Mineola.
So far, there has been no further guidance from the state, nor has a date been set on when the court could hear the appeal.


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