Covid-19 has hit the world hard. Though it has been two years since the first outbreak, things have never been the same. Businesses struggle to get back on their feet. Mask and vaccine mandates have become the new “normal.” 

But for us students, it is not normal. Adjusting back to regular school after a year (or more) of zoom has taken a big toll on our emotional and mental wellbeing. 

One problem is that when a student tests positive for covid, they miss school because they have to quarantine. They miss days of information due to a circumstance out of their control. When they return to school, they can't even learn that day’s information because it's an accumulation of all the previous days. The prospect of catching up on all the notes is daunting - to say the least. 

Though mask mandates have just ended, this year has not been it easy to learn and understand, because the teachers’ mouths were covered with a mask. All our concentration was focused on making out the teachers’ words. To additionally focus on the information required mental strength most of us don’t have.

We are therefore proposing that June Regents of 2022 be canceled. We are still mentally effected by Covid and need more time to get back into Regent preparation. It is extremely stressful to focus on the regents when we should be focusing on the curriculum. 

Thank you for your understanding on this matter. 

Signed, New York Students