February 9, 2022

Dear Catskill Community,

Today, Governor Hochul announced that, while the statewide indoor mask mandate for businesses will end tomorrow, masks will continue to be required in certain settings, including schools.

The Governor also indicated that test kits will be sent to students prior to the winter break (for families to voluntarily test their students prior to their returning to school on Monday, February 28). Catskill CSD plans on distributing these kits to our families on Friday, February 18;

We will provide more information in a separate communication next week.

In early March, the state will make an assessment on mask protocols in schools based on the latest metrics. These include cases per 100K, positivity rate, hospital admissions, pediatric hospitalizations, vaccinations, and global trends.

The state is currently drafting proposed guidelines (if the school mask mandate were to end) based on feedback from state education groups.

Earlier this week, school superintendents throughout our BOCES region sent a letter to New York State Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett advocating for the DOH to work with our school districts to chart a clear path forward. The full letter can be viewed here.

As always, if you have particular questions about our school’s COVID protocols, you can reach out to me at (518) 943-4696.

Regards,

Dr. Ronel Cook,
Superintendent of Schools

Governor Hochul’s Mask Mandate Slides – February 8, 2022