The following message was emailed to all staff and parents by Tuesday morning.
Berlin CSD has received communication regarding news reports that the mask mandate for schools has been lifted. This is NOT the case.
The following information was sent to us by the New York State Department of Education regarding this news:
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 SED’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.
At this time, we are continuing to follow the information sent to us by the NYS Education Department. Information will be updated as we receive it.