Dear Carmel Community,
Today, Governor Hochul has announced that the statewide indoor mask mandate for New York State schools has been lifted, effective Wednesday, March 2, 2022, for all schools in a low-transmission zone.
As of Wednesday, March 2, mask-wearing will be optional for all students, staff and visitors of Carmel Central School District while on school grounds or on school transportation. Additionally, we anticipate that we will be receiving official guidance from the NYS Education Department in the next few days.
We recognize that all members of our district community have differing opinions on masks and levels of comfort with mask-wearing, and we support your choice in making the best decision for your child and yourself. As a district, we commit to respecting the rights of all students, staff, and visitors, whether they choose to wear a mask or not.
While the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is not over, this change is one step closer to returning our learning environments to a more familiar normal for our students and staff. However, we all play a role in keeping our schools safe, healthy and open. Your continued partnership and commitment to not sending your child to school while ill is appreciated and vital to keeping our community safe.
If your child is experiencing any symptoms or tests positive for COVID-19 or other illnesses, we remind you to please not send them to our school buildings.
As a reminder, the district is providing at-home test kits for district students who need them. Tests can be picked up from your child’s individual school building during school hours. Please contact your child’s individual school building if you need alternate arrangements. In order to receive a test kit, the student must attend one of the five schools in our district. If you previously received a test kit from the district for your student, you may obtain another kit at this time.
We will continue to keep you updated with additional information as needed. Please stay safe and be well.
Sincerely,
Mary-Margaret Zehr
Superintendent of Schools