New York officials are making COVID-19 tests available to schools across New York in the lead up to the return to the classroom. 

Meanwhile, officials are anticipating the state will release an updated package of rules for in-building instruction that will not require masking indoors as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shifts its own guidance on the pandemic. 

As schools are gearing up for the new year, parents, teachers and school leaders hope this will be the year things will finally start to feel normal. 

Gov. Kathy Hochul this summer pledged to provide COVID-19 rapid tests to school districts across New York. New York State PTA Executive Director Kyle Belokopitsky said the move will provide students and staff with peace of mind. 

"Some families are really not proponents of frequent testing of their students and that's OK, too," she said. "This really is a family decision and conversation, just like that vaccine decision is."

Schools have become a focal point in the debate over pandemic safety and guidelines. For families, Belokopitsky said it's about finding some consistency after years of disruption and uncertainty. 

"At the end of the day, it's about student safety," Belokopitsky said. "We have to continue to reflect on where we are in New York. We know a lot more about this virus. A lot more people are vaccinated."

Schools are expected to receive guidance as early as next week reflecting revised rules put in place by the CDC. Mandatory masking is not expected to be included. 

"We don't expect students to have any type of uniform masking," Belokopitsky said. "That stopped in March, so we expect students to be able to mask if that's their choice, same for faculty and staff." 

Hochul, who put an indoor mask rule in place amid the sharp rise in COVID-19 cases during the spread of the omicron variant, has said she is unlikely to re-issue it unless cases rise steeply again. 

The guidance is highly anticipated for school officials who have been handling the ongoing social and societal fallout of the pandemic for families and kids.  

"It will hopefully provide districts with the necessary clarity that they need to be able to start this school year in the right way," said Jay Warona, the general counsel for the New York State School Boards Association. 

The new COVID-19 policy could give school leaders a roadmap for how to navigate COVID-19 safely while also making sure COVID-19 won't disrupt in-classroom learning. 

"We sort of need to know going into the school year what's going to constitute the new normal," he said.