Massapequa Ends Mask Mandate After Supreme Court Ruling

MASSAPEQUA, NY — After a state Supreme Court judge ruled Gov. Kathy Hochul's school mask mandate unconstitutional yesterday, the Massapequa School District immediately made masks optional for all students and staff. But the action may have been premature.

Nassau County Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rademaker ruled that the mask mandate was enacted unlawfully, and was therefore void. He did not rule on the safety or efficacy of masks in schools.

Several school districts, including Massapequa, immediately jumped at the chance and made masks optional. The district announced its decision in an email to parents sent out Monday night. As of today, masks are optional in all district buildings, it said.

However, the districts may have acted too quickly. The state quickly appealed the ruling, which would keep the mask mandate in effect until the appeal is weighed upon.

"My responsibility as governor is to protect New Yorkers throughout this public health crisis, and these measures help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and save lives," Hochul said in a statement after the ruling. "We strongly disagree with this ruling, and we are pursuing every option to reverse this immediately."

The Massapequa Board of Education had just voted last week to lift the mask mandate in February. It chose Feb. 21 as the date its order would go into effect because that is the date the mask mandate was scheduled to end. The order passed the board unanimously.