Thursday, October 1, 2026
Masks will remain in Wantagh-Seaford schools, and all public and private schools in New York, for now, after a state appellate court granted Gov. Kathy Hochul’s mask mandate a stay on Jan. 31. The directive, which applies to businesses, stores and schools, will remain in effect until the state’s appeal of a State Supreme Cout ruling striking down the mandate is decided. The state has until March 2 to file court papers.
The shift has created frustration for some parents in Wantagh and Seaford who were happy to see the mandate go. Dana Sansivieri, of Wantagh, said that late last month, her son, Angelo, was sent home from Wantagh Middle School for not wearing a mask. Sansivieri said she sent him to school without a mask, and with a note explaining why.
It was Sansivieri’s decision that he not wear a mask, the note read, as she is the “ultimate authority in his life. Do not put a mask on my child!” the note added. Sansivieri said that although her son was sent home, the principal was understanding and apologetic about the situation, but indicated that the school had to follow protocols.
“This week has been unprecedented,” Seaford Superintendent Dr. Adele Pecora said at the district’s Board of Education meeting on Jan. 27, adding later, “The school system is stuck in a tug-of-war, and it’s just not appropriate. And it’s very disheartening, because we should be focusing on educating students.”
Pecora said she understood the community’s frustration and confusion, and the administration and the school board empathized. “We’re confused. We’re frustrated,” she said. “We’re upset that the school systems, somehow, wound up in the middle of a huge political controversy where I wholeheartedly believe we do not belong.”
Before the mandate was initially struck down by State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rademaker on Jan. 24, the district’s Covid-19 task force met to come up with a recommendation for the district to move forward with masks in schools. Its members suggested that the district go mask-optional the day after Hochul allowed the mandate to expire, which they expected her to do in the coming weeks. “As soon as it is determined that it is lawful to take the masks off,” Pecora said, “we will do so.”
In the Wantagh Union Free School District, district officials have submitted a letter to Hochul’s office requesting that the state provide “clear guidance on universal school mask requirements and when and how these will evolve.”
The letter, dated Feb. 3 and signed by Superintendent John McNamara and Board of Education President Anthony Greco, stated that the district understands that the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic are ever-changing, which impacts districts’ strategies and policies. “However, it is crucial to recognize that rules which defy common sense or are inconsistently applied threaten to undermine public acceptance of all rules, including those that remain essential,” the letter read. “Establishing clear metrics to change mitigation strategies will allow for regional decision-making,” it reads.
On Feb. 1, Republican County Executive Bruce Blakeman also called on Hochul, a Democrat, to release the statistical guidelines she will use to lift the mask mandate. “Time and time again, we’ve asked the governor, what are the metrics for ending the mask mandate?” Blakeman said at a news conference. “And we still haven’t gotten an answer, because there is no metric. There is no science. This is all about control, and it’s about parents not having the right to decide what is best for their children.”
Michael Demetriou, of Bellmore, spoke alongside Blakeman, in front of a crowd of over 100 unmasked residents, parents and children in Mineola. “The children won in court,” Demetriou said, despite the appellate ruling. “They did not burn down any buildings, they did not close down any businesses. They took the fight to court legally, and they won.”
