Minisink Valley school community:

As part of our commitment to keep you updated on COVID-19 related news and in the ongoing interest of transparency, we want to advise you that Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who will be installed as governor on Aug. 24, said during a  visit to public school in Corona (in Queens) that she expects the New York State Department of Health to require everyone in public schools to wear masks “in a matter of days.”

In various media reports published today, Aug. 18,  Lt. Gov. Hochul said she believed the state will need mask mandates in place in order for children to return to school, adding that mandates will have to be universal and statewide.

In a Politico report, Lt. Gov. Hochul said the only delay for the mandate to be in place was that she currently doesn’t have the authority to do so until she assumes the governorship.

In a WABC-TV report, the lieutenant governor noted “the Delta variant has changed the dynamic considerably, so we have to continue being vigilant. But, number one, our children need to be back in schools.”

Lt. Gov. Hochul also said in a prior CNN report that she favored a vaccination requirement for school employees, but currently doesn’t have that authority granted to her.

Minisink Valley announced on Aug. 16 that the district was following the recommendations of the Orange County Department of Health and requiring all persons inside district buildings to wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

We will continue to keep you updated. Thank you for your attention to this important information.

Read more:
Aug. 16:  Masks now required in all district buildings regardless of vaccination status