We strongly urge the Kings Park School District to follow the latest CDC (Centers for Disease Control), AAP (The American Academy of Pediatrics) and Suffolk County DOH guidance and mandate masks in our schools, regardless of vaccination status.  This is particularly prudent at the elementary level where no child is yet eligible for a vaccine.

In Suffolk County, the daily number of positive cases is increasing every day. As of today (8/9/21), the number of positive cases is 304, which is significantly higher than this time last year in August of 2020. Throughout the United States, the hospitalization of children with severe symptoms from the Delta variant is increasing. Hospitals are once again becoming overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients.

Our schools had a safe, successful year last year with no major outbreaks BECAUSE OF all of the precautions that were taken. Given cases are higher now than they were last year at this time and given we have a more highly transmissible variant that is affecting children much more than the Alpha variant, these precautions should clearly continue. Despite the vaccination status of Suffolk County, we are still at a level of high transmission. 

COVID-19 is an airborne disease, thus spreading through the air via droplets from the mouth and nose. Masks prevent this spread. If our number one priority is to keep our children, and community members safe, while keeping schools open, we must reopen our schools safely with a mask mandate.

As per the AAP “Research has shown that opening schools generally does not significantly increase community transmission WITH MASKING and other safety measures in place.” In agreement with the AAP, the CDC states “due to the circulating and highly contagious Delta variant, CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status.
In addition to universal indoor masking, CDC recommends schools maintain at least 3 feet of physical distance between students within classrooms to reduce transmission risk. When it is not possible to maintain a physical distance of at least 3 feet, such as when schools cannot fully re-open while maintaining these distances, it is especially important to layer multiple other prevention strategies, such as screening testing.”

If we want to keep our schools open for in-person learning for the 2021-2022 school year with no school closures and interruption to our children’s education and athletics, we must have a universal mask mandate in place. 

Voluntary masking or “parent choice” is not an equivalent solution as masking works best when everyone does it. Unfortunately, leaving it up to individuals to decide whether or not to wear a mask has not worked and it is one of the main factors driving this current surge. COVID-19 can have significant morbidity for young children including Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), increasing the risk of diabetes, and cognitive effects of illness.  Long-COVID can affect children as well.

The data is clear at this point in the pandemic that masks work, they mitigate disease, and they are safe for our children. Universal masking, especially in the setting of full time in-person instruction, is the safest way to prevent ongoing disruptions and to protect in-person learning.  No family should have to choose between health and safety and their child’s education.
Keep our children, teachers, and community safe and please sign this petition!