First masks, then testing

With parents on both sides riled, K-12 schools closing in on compromise plans

While most districts in the Capital Region plan to implement universal mask policies when school starts up again, several local school boards, facing strong opposition from parents, have floated plans to make the face coverings optional.

Now that COVID-19 cases are ramping up across the state, those same officials are proposing a compromise: Masks will likely be required in September, but the mandate may be eased once surveillance testing indicates a low in-school infection rate.

Gloversville school officials, who previously proposed making masks optional, on Monday said the mask requirement would be adjusted based on county infection rates. Superintendent David Halloran encouraged all parents to opt into

school-level pool testing, which he said would help drive down infection rates in Fulton County.

“It’s important to know what the virus is doing in our schools so we can act accordingly,” Halloran said. “The more parents who give permission for their children to be tested, the more information we will have and hopefully it will show that the infection rate is really low. That will drive infection rates lower and hopefully, that means masks will be an option.”

Children who are medically fragile will be referred to a virtual school operated by the Capital Region BOCES, he said. Teachers will be prepared to teach remotely if the entire class is quarantined due to an outbreak. The district enrolls about 2,600 students.

“Let’s hope, a month, a month and a half into the school year, infection rates are low,” and masks can be optional, Halloran said.

Every county in New York is classified as having a “high” or “very high” risk of transmission based on daily COVID-19 counts and average test positivity rates, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Due to the circulating delta variant, the CDC currently recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. The federal government has provided county health departments with funds earmarked specifically for in-school testing.

Last year, state health officials dictated COVID-19 protocols in K-12 schools, which created some uniformity across the region.

With the Cuomo administration embroiled in scandal, the state Department of Health announced this month that it would not release anticipated health guidance, leaving decisions on masking, social distancing, testing, and other safety protocols up to individual schools.

“With the end of the state disaster emergency on June 25, 2021, school districts are reestablished as the controlling entity for schools,” state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said. “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.”

Without state guidance, the debate over whether children should wear face coverings has led to tense confrontations at school board meetings across the region.

“I’ve received hundreds of emails, letters in the mail. More letters than I’ve gotten in a long time,” Burnt Hills-ballston Lake Superintendent Patrick M. Mcgrath said at a board meeting this week.

The district enrolls 3,000 students and overlaps Saratoga and Schenectady counties, which have seen climbing infection rates in recent weeks.

Mcgrath said he and school board members agree with parents who believe masks are bad for children.

School officials will take into consideration townlevel and building-level data when determining whether to require masks, Mcgrath said. Voluntary saliva tests will help determine infection rates in each building.

“The counties are big, but if you drill down and look at our towns of Ballston, Glenville, Charlton, and Clifton Park ... if you look at those numbers over the last six days, we have been relatively steady, with a total of 74 cases in our four towns,” Mcgrath said.

Critics of mask mandates have argued that the protective coverings restrict breathing and make it harder for young children to learn social cues.

Supporters see masks as the best way to protect unvaccinated children against the virus when school resumes. They point to a striking number of pediatric hospitalizations in Texas, a state that has banned mask mandates.

Some school leaders say they are holding off on making a decision on the masks to avoid backtracking on the issue, including in Mechanicville where board members have expressed opposition to mask mandates.

Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who in a week will become governor, has signaled that she supports universal masking in schools.

“Effective today, it’s local control, but the state can change its mind at any point,” Mechanicville Superintendent Bruce Potter said.

Provided no further mandates come from state or federal government, Mechanicville officials say they will make a decision based on district-level data in consultation with local health departments.

Mohonasen school board members are divided on the issue. On Monday, the board met in a large auditorium to hear arguments from Rotterdam-area parents for and against the mask mandate.

“I think there is an intelligent way forward. I think there is a way forward that involves compromise. There is no way that will please everyone,” Superintendent Shannon Shine said.

Most districts in Albany County have announced that masks will be required indoors by all students and staff this fall. In most districts, the school year begins Sept. 9.