Park Slope Private School Reneges On Mask-Optional Plan: Report

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Families at a Park Slope private school thought their students wouldn't have to wear masks to class this week, but the school reneged on the plan after state officials said it violated an existing mandate.

Poly Prep Country Day School, an elite nursery through grade 12 school with campuses in Dyker Heights and Park Slope, announced its decision to lift the schoolwide mask requirement in lieu of a mask optional policy last Wednesday. The school planed to continue to require weekly testing for all students, who are required to be vaccinated (and boosted) depending on their age.

Two days later, however (before the policy even went into effect) school officials told parents in an email that the state and city health departments deemed the policy shift "not permissible under current state- and city-wide restrictions," multiple outlets reported.

Earlier in the week a spokeswoman for the New York State Department of Health called the school's mask optional policy a "violation" of the state's mask mandate, which was lifted in businesses last week, but remains a requirement in many places, including health care facilities, public transportation, and schools.

State officials plan to revisit the school mask mandate (which is a separate rule) at the beginning of March, after students return from midwinter break and officials have assessed case counts in schools.

Related Article: New York's Indoor Mask Mandate Ends For Businesses: Hochul