Dear Families and Staff Members:

On Friday June 4, 2021, New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker wrote a letter informing the CDC that New York State is considering revising face mask requirements for public schools.

While we await the response from the CDC and updated guidance from the New York State Department of Health and Onondaga County Department of Health, current face mask requirements will continue to apply in our schools. This means that students and staff are required to wear face masks at all times except when eating or drinking.

NYSDOH released updated guidance in March which requires students and staff members to wear face masks at all times, except when eating or drinking. If we receive updated guidance from NYSDOH and Onondaga County Health Department, we will be sure to share this information with our families and staff members. If NYSDOH adopts changes to face mask policies to strongly recommend, but not require face masks in schools, we would want to know if there will be any changes to the contact tracing and quarantine guidelines for schools in Onondaga County.

Dr. Zucker’s recent letter is welcome news and shows just how far we have come in the last fifteen months of this pandemic. I am grateful for all that our school community has done to work together. You have done a wonderful job of adjusting to changes along the way. As soon as we receive and review any updated guidelines from NYSDOH or Onondaga County, we will be sure to keep you informed. If we are able to make adjustments to our face mask requirements, I would welcome your feedback. Please take a few moments to respond to this two question survey: