ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)- March 1 was the day that school districts, teachers, students, and parents had been waiting for. It was the day the state’s mask mandate for school districts was lifted after nearly two years.
Before the mask mandate was lifted, the toll it was taking became apparent. Ballston Spa students staged a walkout in protest on February 1. School districts a part of Warren-Hamilton-Washington-Saratoga-Essex BOCES sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul asking for a clear-cut path to getting rid of masks at the beginning of February. Parents and students in the Coxsackie-Athens School District relayed frustration at students having to wear masks at school but not in other public places.
Although it fluctuated, the number of COVID-19 cases in the Capital Region has remained a fraction of the number of cases reported daily at the beginning of January, when cases spiked following the holidays. Because cases in schools largely follow patterns seen in the community, cases have remained minimal, according to the New York COVID-19 Report Card.
New York school districts have had to report COVID cases since the beginning of the school year. Larger school districts have reported the most cases since then, but even in these districts, there has not been a significant spike in cases since February 14. Smaller districts have seen a handful of cases since February as well.
Check out cases in Capital Region school districts on February 14 compared to April 8 below.
Albany County
| School District | Students Feb. 14 | Students Apr. 8 | Teachers/staff Feb. 14 | Teachers/staff Apr. 8 |
| Albany City School District | 981 | 1,032 | 363 | 395 |
| Berne-Knox Westerlo Central School District | 190 | 194 | 58 | 65 |
| Bethlehem Central School District | 676 | 769 | 108 | 130 |
| Cohoes City School District | 308 | 323 | 72 | 86 |
| Green Island Union Free School District | 75 | 81 | 26 | 27 |
| Guilderland Central School District | 1,185 | 1,417 | 225 | 275 |
| Menands Union Free School District | 58 | 64 | 10 | 12 |
| North Colonie School District | 1,036 | 1,165 | 195 | 224 |
| Ravena Coeymans Selkirk Central School District | 347 | 375 | 68 | 73 |
| South Colonie Central School District | 943 | 1,018 | 166 | 196 |
| Voorheesville Central School District | 270 | 324 | 47 | 63 |
| Watervliet City School District | 247 | 257 | 50 | 54 |
Columbia County
| School District | Students Feb. 14 | Students Apr. 8 | Teachers/staff Feb. 14 | Teachers/staff Apr. 8 |
| Chatham Central School District | 117 | 121 | 48 | 51 |
| Germantown Central School District | 36 | 37 | 16 | 16 |
| Hudson City School District | 163 | 171 | 76 | 83 |
| Ichabod Crane Central School District | 356 | 377 | 56 | 58 |
| New Lebanon Central School District | 87 | 92 | 15 | 19 |
| Taconic Hills Central School District | 147 | 158 | 83 | 95 |
Fulton County
| School District | Students Feb. 14 | Students Apr. 8 | Teachers/staff Feb. 14 | Teachers/staff Apr. 8 |
| Broadalbin Perth School District | 357 | 373 | 65 | 71 |
| Gloversville School District | 357 | 380 | 101 | 118 |
| Johnstown School District | 203 | 220 | 55 | 61 |
| Mayfield School District | 146 | 155 | 48 | 53 |
| Northville School District | 117 | 145 | 29 | 35 |
| Wheelerville Union Free School District | 24 | 33 | 5 | 6 |
Greene County
| School District | Students Feb. 14 | Students Apr. 8 | Teachers/staff Feb. 14 | Teachers/staff Apr. 8 |
| Cairo Durham Central School District | 556 | 295 | 50 | 60 |
| Catskill Central School District | 205 | 280 | 44 | 54 |
| Coxsackie-Athens School District | 277 | 311 | 48 | 59 |
| Greenville Central School District | 229 | 293 | 62 | 80 |
| Hunter-Tannersville Central School District | 45 | 46 | 18 | 19 |
| Windham Ashland Jewett Central School District | 25 | 47 | 20 | 25 |
Montgomery County
| School District | Students Feb. 14 | Students Apr. 8 | Teachers/staff Feb. 14 | Teachers/staff Apr. 8 |
| Greater Amsterdam Central School District | 446 | 482 | 108 | 124 |
| Canajoharie Central School District | 116 | 131 | 26 | 34 |
| Fonda Fultonville Central School District | 242 | 261 | 43 | 60 |
| Fort Plain Central School District | 104 | 125 | 28 | 36 |
| Oppenheim-Ephratah-St. Johnsville Central School District | 145 | 155 | 52 | 58 |
Rensselaer County
| School District | Students Feb. 14 | Students Apr. 8 | Teachers/staff Feb. 14 | Teachers/staff Apr. 8 |
| Averill Park School District | 493 | 539 | 101 | 118 |
| Berlin School District | 160 | 164 | 57 | 65 |
| Brittonkill (Brunswick) Central School District | 192 | 219 | 31 | 40 |
| East Greenbush School District | 803 | 863 | 186 | 204 |
| Hoosic Valley School District | 174 | 202 | 50 | 56 |
| Hoosick Falls School District | 67 | 70 | 27 | 32 |
| Lansingburgh School District | 86 | 86 | 27 | 27 |
| North Greenbush School District | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Rensselaer City School District | 180 | 183 | 52 | 57 |
| Schodack School District | 221 | 228 | 55 | 52 |
| Troy City School District | 398 | 411 | 109 | 130 |
| Wynantskill Union Free School District | 59 | 72 | 18 | 22 |
Saratoga County
| School District | Students Feb. 14 | Students Apr. 8 | Teachers/staff Feb. 14 | Teachers/staff Apr. 8 |
| Ballston Spa Central School District | 1,104 | *1,061 | 76 | 199 |
| Burnt Hills- Ballston Lake Central School District | 675 | 705 | 98 | 115 |
| Corinth Central School District | 267 | 306 | 43 | 55 |
| Edinburg Common School | 16 | 18 | 10 | 10 |
| Galway Central School District | 133 | 173 | 27 | 37 |
| Hadley-Luzerne Central School District | 101 | 117 | 42 | 48 |
| Mechanicville City School District | 129 | 133 | 34 | 34 |
| Saratoga Springs City School District | 1,104 | 1,193 | 76 | 84 |
| Schuylerville Central School District | 344 | 362 | 71 | 73 |
| Shenendehowa Central School District | 1,931 | 2,192 | 228 | 253 |
| South Glens Falls Central School District | 777 | 840 | 124 | 145 |
| Stillwater Central School District | 287 | 294 | 60 | 64 |
| Waterford-Halfmoon Union Free School District | 227 | 239 | 42 | 44 |
Schenectady County
| School District | Students Feb. 14 | Students Apr. 8 | Teachers/staff Feb. 14 | Teachers/staff Apr. 8 |
| Duanesburg School District | 200 | 211 | 40 | 42 |
| Mohonasen School District | 500 | 571 | 74 | 94 |
| Niskayuna School District | 651 | 723 | 83 | 100 |
| Schalmont School District | 418 | 437 | 57 | 62 |
| Schenectady City School District | 1,159 | 1,242 | 338 | 364 |
| Scotia-Glenville School District | 510 | 587 | 69 | 86 |
Schoharie County
| School District | Students Feb. 14 | Students Apr. 8 | Teachers/staff Feb. 14 | Teachers/staff Apr. 8 |
| Cobleskill-Richmondville Central School District | 351 | 396 | 99 | 113 |
| Jefferson Central School District | 33 | 36 | 8 | 11 |
| Sharon Springs Central School District | 40 | 52 | 9 | 14 |
Warren County
| School District | Students Feb. 14 | Students Apr. 8 | Teachers/staff Feb. 14 | Teachers/staff Apr. 8 |
| Glens Falls Central School District | 391 | 416 | 57 | 66 |
| Johnsburg Central School District | 80 | 83 | 21 | 22 |
| Lake George School District | 151 | 174 | 35 | 46 |
| North Warren Central School District | 100 | 111 | 26 | 33 |
| Queensbury Union Free School District | 696 | 776 | 92 | 115 |
| Warrensburg Central School District | 158 | 170 | 38 | 39 |
Washington County
| School District | Students Feb. 14 | Students Apr. 8 | Teachers/staff Feb. 14 | Teachers/staff Apr. 8 |
| Argyle Central School District | 59 | 59 | 28 | 28 |
| Bolton Central School District | 40 | 41 | 14 | 14 |
| Cambridge Central School District | 123 | 129 | 61 | 52 |
| Fort Ann Central School District | 117 | 123 | 17 | 17 |
| Granville Central School District | 270 | 296 | 68 | 80 |
| Greenwich Central School District | 197 | 239 | 38 | 40 |
| Hartford Central School District | 80 | 86 | 18 | 24 |
| Hudson Falls Central School District | 619 | 665 | 96 | 114 |
| Salem Central School District | 54 | 56 | 19 | 21 |
| Whitehall Central School District | 93 | 110 | 40 | 47 |
