ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Lieutenant Gov. Kathy Hochul says that the state has the authority to mandate masks at schools. That’s in contrast to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who earlier this month said he lacks the legal authority to impose mask mandates on his own. The Democrat Hochul is set to take office as New York’s first female governor on Aug. 24, when Cuomo will resign in the wake of an independent investigation that found he sexually harassed at least 11 women. Hochul said Wednesday that nearly all school leaders and superintendents she’s spoken with support a mask mandate in schools.
Photo: Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul visits PS143, the Louis Armstrong School, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021, in New York. Hochul says that the state has the authority to mandate masks at schools. That’s in contrast to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who earlier this month said he lacks the legal authority to impose mask mandates on his own. (AP Photo/Jeenah Moon)
