NY Education Department to give schools guidance on COVID protocols

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - The New York State Health Department said it will not be giving any updated reopening guidance when it comes to COVID-19 protocols for the 2021-2022 school year.

"It's kind of a shock and disappointing because we didn't learn about that until August," said Joseph Ricca, the superintendent of White Plains City Schools.

However, the state's Education Department is now stepping in. In a letter to district superintendents Tuesday, the commissioner promised guidance based on CDC guidelines to come before September.

Ricca is promising plenty of mask breaks throughout the school day this year. He is only requiring them indoors and on buses. But so far, several other districts in the Hudson Valley haven't said what their rules will be.

Meanwhile, the largest school district in the country — New York City — is attempting to help parents and students with questions before what could be another challenging year.

"The most important thing we can do for all of you is to make sure we get you back in school and back in school safely," Schools Chancellor Meisha Ross Porter said. Porter was at New Dorp High School on Staten Island urging students 12 and over to get vaccinated.

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