Parents Protest State's School Mask Mandate: 'I Want To Breathe'

LONG ISLAND, NY — Parents, livid over the state's decision regarding masks for students in schools, protested Wednesday on County Road 111 in Manorville.

After a weekend of confusion that left some parents livid, a decision on masks at New York schools was made Monday: districts can allow students to remove masks while outside, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. The indoor mandate will remain in place until the end of the school year.

Holding signs that read "I Want To Breathe Fresh Air!", and other statements in support of unmasking kids inside classrooms, the group protested for about two hours. David Samartino, who organized a rally in Eastport last week for Eastport-South Manor Central School District parents, spoke out about Wednesday's protest.

"The community just doesn’t have confidence in this governor and to be quite frank, the school district," he said. How can we have confidence in them after the continuous let-downs?"

When asked how he felt about the state's decision to allow children to go maskless outside but keep the indoor mask mandate in place, Samartino said: "It’s one thing to play political games at the expense of adults, but to do it on the kids is deplorable."

He added: "The incompetence in our schools from the state down will be added to the list of why people are fleeing New York. . . In the meantime, I hope the district can be innovative with the kids the next two weeks and have more period of instructions outside so they can be maskless."

The mask announcement came after a weekend of confusion as, after news Friday that the mask mandate would be lifted Monday, the New York State Department of Education said until the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weighed in, masks would still be required.

On Monday, Cuomo said the state had spoken with the CDC, which has policy guidance for schools nationwide. The CDC agreed to drop the outdoor mask mandate in New York for students, he said, but felt more comfortable with leaving kids masked indoors until the end of the school year in two weeks. The policy will then be revisited before the new school year in September, he said.

Ultimately, though, the decision about masks outdoors remains up to the individual school districts, Cuomo said — aligning the school and camp guidance statewide. Schools and camps may choose to implement stricter standards, he said.

Some school districts moved quickly over the weekend to announce that masks would become optional come Monday and then were left scrambling Sunday.

At least three Long Island districts-Sachem, Patchogue-Medford and Massapequa-ignored the new guidance from the state's education department Sunday and made masks optional Monday.

It's unclear if those districts will face any repercussions.

Other protests, organized by Shawn Farash, who helmed a series of caravans in support of former President Donald Trump, have been taking place in Nassau County, at the Comsewogue Board of Education, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran's office, and the Commack Board of Education meeting Thursday night, among others.

"It's still extremely unfair and unsafe for kids indoors with the heat, and no AC in the overwhelming majority of these buildings," he said.

Other parents support the indoor mask mandate. "My son attends William Floyd High School," said Serena Finn. "And he is fully vaccinated. I think it should be up to him if he still wants to wear a mask in school. But since school is almost over I don’t see any harm if they still need to wear masks. We would like all kids and staff to feel comfortable finishing out the school year."

"My kids are masked up and in school," said Elle Mangano of Deer Park. "They have dealt with it all year — another week won’t kill them!"

"I’m in favor of keeping kids protected. Indoor masks make sense," said Lisa Richland

Others want the masks off: "Except for on school grounds,the majority of these kids are together daily and have been since last summer without masks. This is no longer about science. It’s theatrics and it’s time to end it," said David Perrin of Mattituck.

Lauren Gilbert, a parent in the Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District, wrote a letter to the administration: "After watching Governor Cuomo’s press briefing, I am urging you to take a stand for a parent’s and student’s right to choose what is right for them. Cuomo states they are aligning school guidelines with camp guidelines but that is everything but true. They are only aligning the optional outdoor mask use. Camp guidelines were changed recently stating masks indoors are also optional for campers," she said. "I feel they are using our schools and children as political pawns," Gilbert added.

"It's a parent's choice," said Erin Hardy.

And, said Eileen Kapell of Greenport, "I’m in favor of doing what your school district has decided is best for all students."