Masking Mandate Update Good Evening,Regrets for the late hour of this communication....We have been made aware of Nassau County Supreme Court Judge Rademaker’s decision stating that the Department of Health exceeded its authority in enacting the mask regulation in schools. Moments ago, schools across the state received the following message from the New York State Department of Education (NYSED): “The State Education Department understands that Nassau County Supreme Court has ruled that the Department of Health exceeded its authority in enacting the mask regulation, 10 NYCRR 2.60, in Demetriou et al. v. New York State Dep’t of Health et al. This regulation is the subject of conflicting decisions, insofar as Albany County Supreme Court recently upheld the regulation in Massapequa UFSD et al. v. Hochul, et al. It is the New York State Department of Education’s understanding that the Department of Health will appeal the Nassau County Supreme Court decision, which will result in an automatic stay that will unambiguously restore the mask rule until such time as an appellate court issues a further ruling. Therefore, schools must continue to follow the mask rule.” The news from this evening is likely to be met with different reactions and emotions from our school community. With that being said, please understand that as a public school district, we are required to follow all directives from the State Education Department. This information from the state level will be something that we will continue to follow closely. This ruling, along with the fact that Governor Hochul’s mask mandate is set to expire on February 1st, means that we should be hearing more on this topic at the state level in the coming days. The District continues to follow the guidelines from the Department of Health as it has throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Given this latest development, we will also work with our legal counsel and state leaders specific to implications related to this litigation and any appeals which may result. Please stay tuned and we will share more information as we learn it. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as we continue to navigate the ever changing and rapidly evolving landscape of the COVID pandemic. We appreciate your support of the district and the important work we do.Warmest regards,BridgetE. Bridget AshtonSuperintendent, Honeoye Central School District8528 Main StreetHoneoye, New York 14471[email protected]On Twitter: @EBridgetAshton