After a year of remote or hybrid learning, several districts across the Hudson Valley head back to class Tuesday, including Peekskill, Pearl River, Mount Pleasant and Clarkstown.

Along with paper, pencils and lunch, parents will need to pack extra masks for kids heading back to school.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday the state is mandating masks in schools.

"We'll do it now and we'll assess because there will be parts in our state where the numbers drop. You get the vaccinations up and vaccines to children, the circumstances are going to change in some areas, so I'll be very flexible," said Hochul.

It was a big reversal from the former administration, which had directed districts to make the decision.

New York City, Mount Vernon and Peekskill are among districts that already opted for universal masks.

The state is also working on mandating vaccinations or weekly testing among faculty.

"It's those outliers who could hold back reopening schools in a safe way and I don't want that to be the case," said Hochul.