Mamaroneck Schools Drop Mask Mandate

MAMARONECK, NY — Following Gov. Kathy Hochul's decision to lift the statewide school mask mandate, face coverings will be optional in Mamaroneck and Larchmont schools beginning March 2, district officials announced on Sunday.

In a letter to parents, Dr. Robert I. Shaps, superintendent of the Mamaroneck Union Free School District, said the decision is based on Hochul's announcement and on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that masks in schools be optional in counties with a low risk of COVID-19.

Westchester County is among those counties, Shaps said.

"We hope you will spend some time speaking with your children over the next few days about your family's choice regarding the wearing of masks and reinforce that these are deeply personal decisions that each family makes based on a variety of factors best for each family," Shaps said in the letter. "We encourage you to speak to your child(ren) about respecting the mask choices that other families make."

Read more: School Mask Mandate To Be Lifted In NY Wednesday: Hochul

Shaps said he is expecting more information from the state health department to "understand how current COVID-19 protocols will change," and he said he'll send out more updates as they become available.

Hochul announced her decision to lift the mandate on Sunday, and cited a 98 percent drop in COVID-19 cases statewide — from 90,000 positive cases on Jan. 7 to 1,671 on Sunday.

"The day has come," Hochul said on Sunday. "We are lifting the statewide mask requirements as of Wednesday."

In January, the Mamaroneck Union Free School District announced mask-wearing would be optional in its schools following a Nassau County Supreme Court judge ruling that New York State's mask mandate was unconstitutional.

But an appellate court judge granted a stay of the ruling, meaning the emergency face mask order remained in effect — in Mamaroneck and throughout the state.

Related:

State Supreme Court Judge Overturns Hochul's School Mask Mandate
Mamaroneck Schools End Mask Requirement After Ruling
UPDATE: Stay Granted, School Mask Mandate In Effect