June 6, 2021
Dear Parents, Students, Staff and the Roxbury Community,
If there is one thing we have all learned during the pandemic it is that change happens all the time. That being said, I wanted to inform you of an important change that could take place as early as next week.
Late on Friday afternoon we were informed that mask mandates for schools may lessen significantly. Dr. Howard Zucker, the head of the New York State Department of Health, has written a letter to the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In the letter Dr. Zucker states:
“As many camps take place on school grounds, both serve school-age children, and the end of the school year/start of the camp season both occur in June, New York State plans to align our school and camp mask guidance as follows. In both settings, as a minimum state-wide guidance:
• Indoors, mask use will be strongly encouraged but not required for students, campers, and
staff/teachers/counselors who are not fully vaccinated.
• Outdoors, masks are not required; students, campers, and staff/teachers/counselors who are
not fully vaccinated are “encouraged” to wear a mask in certain higher-risk circumstances.
• Both indoors and outdoors, students, campers, and staff who are fully vaccinated do not need
to wear masks.
• Schools and camps may choose to implement stricter standards.”
He closes the letter requesting scientific data from the CDC prohibiting this new guidance. If no such information is received, New York State’s plan is to move forward with the above guidelines as early as Monday, June 7th.
As it stands now, there has been no formal change in state requirements. Also, current state guidance requires districts to engage stakeholders when updating a school reopening plan, suggesting that stakeholders would need to be consulted before changing mask requirements.
I ask that you please take this very brief survey on mask wearing at Roxbury.
The link is posted below and on our Facebook page. Your feedback is always greatly valued and appreciated!
We will continue to monitor this and communicate any updates as they become available.
In the meantime, masks will still be required to be worn by students and staff.
Jeffrey J Bennett
Superintendent