Long Island parents continue to protest school mask rule

CARLE PLACE, N.Y. - Heather Birong doesn't care how many days of school are left. She and others who came out to rally against the state's mask mandate believe their kids shouldn't be forced to wear a mask inside the classroom.

"Today's a full day, tomorrow's a full day, and then three half days," she said. "They're having nose bleeds, vomiting, can't breathe, headaches."

On Monday, Carle Place school officials and local leaders called once more on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to unmask all children in school. They say the mandate makes little sense especially since more than 35 states throughout the nation have lifted student mask mandates without coronavirus outbreaks.

With temperatures warming up and COVID numbers going down, some believe the state's guidelines have been controversial and confusing.

"They have to get their act together so we can do our jobs whether the masks are on or off," Carle Place School District Superintendent Christine Finn said. 

The governor's office referred FOX 5 NY to comments he made on the mask mandate earlier this month, citing the progress that's been made and the CDC's recommendation to continue wearing masks inside schools. But some parents say enough is enough.

"This is no longer about saving lives," one mom said. "It's about power and control."

Dr. Mark Lashley, a pediatrician with Allied Physicians Group, doesn't believe breathing in carbon dioxide from your mask is an issue but said the masks should be washed or changed regularly. He said he agrees with the CDC's guidelines and the governor's push to keep masks in place.

"Indoors, unvaccinated or people of unknown determination need to be masked," he said. "Outdoors the risk is much lower."

No decision has been made on whether masks will be required inside school buildings this fall.

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