Falconer Central School P-J file photo

FALCONER — The superintendent of Falconer Central School is questioning if New York state has a plan in place once the face mask mandate for schools is lifted.

Stephen Penhollow said the administration and school board have done its best throughout the pandemic to keep updated on the ever-changing regulations. However, his concern lies with the lack of planning for when masking is no longer mandated for students, teachers and staff at schools.

“I think (regulations) are kind of on the forefront of all school boards at this point because those are the topics that are being discussed within the communities surrounding not only Falconer but throughout all of New York state,” Penhollow said. “We’re required by the Department of Health and the governor’s office and the New York State Department of Education to comply with their mandates. We continue to update as new changes come out, and every week, there are more changes — sometimes multiple changes a week. It’s just a period of constant change for schools.”

Several media outlets reported this week that the rule that grants the governor the power to mandate students, teachers and other staff wear face masks in schools was expected to be renewed Feb. 21.

Penhollow said many districts are looking for guidance on what happens when the mandate does end and what it will mean for schools.

“I think what a lot of schools and school districts are looking at is when this masking ends, what is the plan? Because it’s going to have to end at some point,” he said. “I know in Erie County, a number of their leaders have put together a letter to Dr. (Mary) Bassett who is the New York State Commissioner of Health — she took over for Zucker — and they’d asked her ‘What is your plan?’ I don’t know if they know what the plan is because this pandemic has seemed to have thrown everyone curve balls at one point or another. But a lot of schools are starting to look at when this ends, how are we going to come out of this? What is it going to look like, so we can be prepared.”

Penhollow said the district is grateful for the community and its support throughout the pandemic. While there were concerns over mask mandates previously, he said the community “understands where the school stands.”

“They may not like the rules and regulations, but they understand that we must adhere to them,” he said. “We were open as far as having conversations, we met with parents, we talked with parents and we emailed parents about what was really happening.”

Penhollow added that the district has also been very thankful to have the Chautauqua County Health Department’s input throughout the pandemic.

“They’ve asked for our input and our thoughts, so we’ve been extremely fortunate that we’ve got a health department that has been very supportive of Chautauqua County schools,” he said. “We’re extremely thankful for that.”

The mask mandate was set to end Feb. 21. Penhollow said educators were hoping for answers at some point soon.

“Are we looking at weeks? Are we looking at another month?” He asked. “Where do we stand if the numbers continue o go down, as we hope they continue to do? What is our plan as a state? People are going to ask us and it’s tough to tell people you don’t know what the plan is — we don’t know the plan because we don’t make the plan. But we’ll continue to do as we’ve done — to keep our kids safe and to make sure our doors are open. The challenge of every school board in New York State, of every administrator, of every teacher, every parent, every student, and every staff member at every school is facing the same thing we’re facing. But, we’ve worked together, we’ve made it through to this point and we’re going to continue to put our kids first and hopefully continue to stay safe. Evidence shows the safest place for kids is still in school.”