Assemblyman Jeff Gallahan (R,C-Manchester) has written a letter, along with several of his Assembly colleagues, calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to not implement a statewide mask mandate for children in public schools, following an announcement of her intent to do so.

Within the letter, Gallahan asserts that local school districts should have the ability to implement masking policies suited to the unique needs of their communities, arguing that a top-down and unilateral approach to this issue will place an unnecessary burden on students and their parents.

“Locally-made decisions are informed decisions, and the people living within a community are the ones who know their unique needs better than any bureaucrat working in Albany,” said Gallahan. “This year our new governor has an opportunity to break with her predecessor and put an end to the top-down style of governance that characterized his tenure. This previous approach unnecessarily made an already challenging time for learning even more difficult for our kids. I sincerely hope she will renege on her decision and let our school districts make the best decisions for their own student bodies.”

Editor’s Note