The Wallkill Central School District unveiled its reopening plan on Aug. 19 which mandates mask wearing on school property.

The 2021-22 school year will kick off on Sept. 8. Students will be attending school in person five days a week. Remote learning will not be offered unless the district is required to close school for a period of time.

Wallkill Superintendent Kevin Castle noted that although community members might be disappointed with the mask mandate it ultimately is in the best interest of students, faculty and staff.

“We realize for some, the requirement of mask use indoors is upsetting,” he stated in a letter to parents/guardians on Aug. 19. “However, in order to have our students attend school five days a week in a safe manner with minimal disruption, it was critical in developing our plans that we followed the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the local health department. In addition, we received guidance from the New York State Education Department (NYSED) which was consistent with the guidance from the CDC, AAP and our local health department.”

Although masks will be required to be worn while on school property (including school buses) they will not be required for outdoor events/activities.

While in the classroom, mask breaks will be encouraged while students are sitting at their desks. Social distancing of three feet indoors will be mandated to the extent possible.

The district will collaborate with the local health departments to contact trace and to make quarantine and isolation decisions. Individuals who were in close contact with a positive case while in school will no longer be required to quarantine provided that they wore a mask and maintained a social distance of at least three feet. Students and staff members will be subject to daily health screenings and will be required to stay home if they demonstrate any symptoms of COVID-19.

In the upcoming school year, the district will monitor transmission rates in its communities. There will be daily cleaning and disinfecting of high-touched surfaces. The district will open doors and windows to ventilate its facilities.

The district has posted its 2021-2022 school opening plan on its website for the community’s review. This document includes the health and safety plan as well as the instructional plan. Castle noted in his letter to parents/guardians on Aug. 19 that the district learned a lot last year and this knowledge assisted them with the development of their plans.

Similar to last year, if the district is notified of any COVID-19 cases, the information will be shared with parents/guardians in a letter.

Parents/guardians of students who are required to quarantine will be notified by a school official.

Castle added that the health and safety plan as well as the instructional plan are subject to change based on any new guidance the district might receive from the CDC, AAP, the local health departments, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) or the NYSDOH.

Building principals will provide additional information regarding the health and safety measures for their schools. If parents/guardians have any questions or concerns they can contact their child’s building principal.

The district’s goal is to have students safely attend school five days a week in person so that they can meet their academic and social/emotional needs.

“If we continue to work together to achieve this goal, we will have a very successful school year,” Castle told parents/guardians in a letter dated Aug. 19. “Thank you for your patience, cooperation and support! It’s truly appreciated!”

Frank Riess, a parent in the Wallkill school district, disagreed with the district’s reopening plan. He also did not appreciate the way the board of education conducted themselves at their meeting last Wednesday.

“I am disappointed with the board’s decision,” he said. “The choice to mandate masks will do far more to stunt the social and emotional growth of our youth than it will to prevent the spread of a virus that doesn’t affect children. There were zero parents at last Wednesday’s meeting who felt the other way. The board refused to take our points of view into consideration, answer our questions or even admit that it was their decision. Superintendent Castle consistently deflected and shirked his responsibility. The board refused to tell us how each member voted on the issue. I watched each one of them enter the auditorium without a mask on, only donning them on the stage prior to the meeting as a virtue signal. We have a real transparency problem in Wallkill. It is embarrassing to have leadership like this.”