One Orange County school board wrapped up a vote Monday evening on whether to make masks optional on Wednesday.

The Newburgh Board of Education voted to eliminate a pandemic policy it put in place in August 2020 which required mask-wearing in school.

The district released a letter making masks optional in the classroom but requiring them still on school buses.

The district is hoping to get more clarity on if the state will allow the district to ease other mitigation strategies including on transportation before Wednesday.

Newburgh is the latest district in the Mid-Hudson region to give parents the option to send their kids to school in a mask following new guidance from the CDC late last week.

"If a student is wearing a mask or if a student is not wearing a mask be respectful of the decision and the choice," says Newburgh Superintendent of Schools Ed Forgit. 

The state Health Department didn't have an update on when specific guidance could be released but Newburgh officials said it should come before the new policy goes into effect Wednesday.