Masks

Masks will be optional in Riverhead schools starting Wednesday, following the unanimous vote by the board of education Monday night to remove the mask requirement from the school district's 2021-2022 reopening plan.

A State Appellate Division panel this afternoon granted a stay of the Nassau County court decision last week that invalidated New York's statewide mask mandate.

New York State’s mask mandate for indoor public spaces has been extended until Feb. 10, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced during a storm...

After a hearing this afternoon, Justice Robert Miller, an Appellate Division judge, granted a motion for stay filed by N.Y. Attorney General Letitia James. The ruling allows the mask mandate to temporarily remain in effect. The judge scheduled another hearing for Friday.

Following a State Education Department advisory last night to school districts saying they should keep mask mandates in place, the Riverhead Central School District informed families the district's mask requirement will continue. The decision drew a protest demonstration outside the district office this afternoon.

With COVID-19 case numbers and hospitalizations climbing in Suffolk and across the state, Gov. Kathy Hochul warned of the impact on hospitals if the U.S. experiences an "exponential" increase in cases in the weeks ahead due to the omicron variant.

New York has a new mask mandate. Effective Dec. 13, masks required in all indoor public spaces unless a COVID-19 vaccine is required to enter the space, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced this morning.

School board member Chris Dorr asked board members to write a letter of support for two Nassau County school districts suing to overturn the state's mask mandate in schools. Former schol board candidate Monique Parsons, on behalf of a new group called Save Our Schools-Riverhead, demanded the district become a plaintiff in the suit.

Some Riverhead Central School District residents continue to speak out against mask mandates, despite an indoor mask mandate being adopted by the Board of Education and mandated by Governor Kathy Hochul. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul dove head-first into controversial waters on her first day in office with the announcement of a back-to school plan that includes a universal mask requirement in all schools, as well as pursuing options for a potential vaccine mandate for school employees, with a weekly testing requirement for staff who remain unvaccinated.