The major remaining exception to Governor Murphy’s decision to end the New Jersey mask mandate is kids in schools, Save Jerseyans. Despite a dearth of evidence that kids are (1) at high risk for COVID-19 or (2) highly-likely to spread it to more vulnerable people, our children are still masked as one school year ends and another is on the horizon. The scientifically-bankrupt exception covers summer camps, too.
A growing chorus of folks in the education community are speaking out about it; on Monday, the president of the Toms River BOE wrote directly to Murphy asking him to end the “unnecessary” mask mandate:
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The superintendent of the nearby Central Regional School District (which covers Berkeley Township, Island Heights, Ocean Gate, Seaside Heights and Seaside Park in Ocean County) recently penned a similar letter.
Meanwhile, the Murphy Administration’s strange orders and regulations are causing issues in all 21 counties as the summer season dawns, not just along the coast in Ocean.
“My office has been receiving phone calls, emails, Facebook messages from parents all throughout the State regarding our schools, the lack of uniformity in guidance and the confusion resulting from different policies,” state Senator Holly Schepisi (R-39) of Bergen County complained on social media on Tuesday. “We have also been in direct contact with Superintendents as well as Board of Education members seeking guidance and help with various mandates. I want to give a shout out to our Board of Ed members who are volunteers from their own communities. In addition to COVID they are simultaneously dealing with controversial change of curriculum mandates.”
“The lack of guidance and conflicting messages all year from the State has been appalling and has driven mistrust from parents that will take years for our school boards to gain back,” Schepisi added. “While the anger is understandable please know that most of our school board representatives care as much as you do. They are trying to navigate this insanity as much as we are.”
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