Senator Helming Calls on State to End Mask Mandate for Schoolchildren and Provide Clarity and Certainty for Full September Reopening

Senator Pam Helming has called on the Governor’s office and the New York State Department of Health to immediately end the mask mandate for schoolchildren as summer school and school camp programs begin.

“The Governor has consistently said the state’s decisions are based on science and data. And he recently stated, ‘the numbers show that the risk of transmission by children is extremely low.’ It is time to unmask our kids. Over the last several weeks, I have met with Superintendents, teachers, social workers and parents who want this mandate lifted before summer school out of concern for their students’ health and well-being,” said Senator Helming.

“While the state of emergency has finally ended, it is not clear whether school districts and local health officials have regained control of decision-making. In fact, just yesterday, the state Department of Health issued an emergency regulation enforcing the mask mandate in K-12 schools. In addition to masking, the social distancing rule remains a barrier to a full reopening in September for many districts,” added Senator Helming.

“We need to give our school districts full authority to do what they do best – educate and care for their students. The best thing the state can do is get out of their way,” said Senator Helming.

According to the CDC, “Although children can be infected with SARS-CoV-2, can get sick from COVID-19, and can spread the virus to others, less than 10% of COVID-19 cases in the United States have been among children and adolescents aged 5–17 years… Based on the data available, in-person learning in schools has not been associated with substantial community transmission.”