One Long Island Educator 'Truly Grappled' With Mask Mandate

LONG BEACH, NY — New York State, led by new governor Kathy Hochul, is calling for a mask mandate in all pre-kindergarten through high schools. The Department of Health made the decision Friday after weeks of school districts twisting in the wind ahead of the new season.

One such place is in Long Beach, where Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Gallagher couldn't wait for guidance from the state.

On August 23, she wrote a letter to parents (and posted to their website) saying that she "truly grappled" with the situation.

They will have a mask mandate, "at least for now," Gallagher wrote.

"The State Department of Health should have taken the lead in providing public health directives," Gallagher told Patch via email. "We are educators, not medical professionals, and leaving this to individual districts has only caused confusion and division in our communities."

That confusion is only magnified by parents who are against face coverings for their children.

"It has been clear through survey results, emails, and phone conversations that our community is very divided on the issue of whether masks should be mandatory or the choice of parents," she said.

The superintendent, though, is trying to communicate the importance of the masks to the community as COVID-19 continues to spike from the Delta variant.

"Masks will help us minimize quarantining and we are taking many measures to expand outdoor learning to allow plentiful mask breaks," Gallagher said. "It is our hope that we can safely return to a mask optional environment once the state and health professionals deem it appropriate. We will continue to monitor the situation."

For parents who refuse to follow the mask protocols, along with students who have medical conditions preventing them from attending in-person classes, Long Beach schools will comply with "the opportunity to receive alternate remote instruction for two hours per day." Gallagher said.

For everyone else, Gallagher said tents will be set up at schools to provide additional outdoor space for teaching. Recess will be outside as well to help reduce the transmission of COVID-19.

"Please know that whether or not you agree with our decision, it was made by considering what we truly believe is best for the students in our district," she wrote in the letter to families.