Vaccine Required For All Bernards Township School Staff

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — All Bernards Township School District employees must be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Sept. 1, Superintendent Nick Markarian said.

"Staff need to provide proof of vaccination by Sept. 1 or if they are unable to do so, contact the Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources by Sept. 1," said Markarian.

A letter was sent out to all district staff announcing the mandate on Wednesday as coronavirus cases continue to rise and the delta variant spreads.

Markarian did not say whether an employee would be fired if they refuse to be vaccinated.

"We'll conduct a deliberative process with individuals where that happens," said Markarian.

This local mandate would be in addition to Gov. Phil Murphy's mask mandate. On Friday, Murphy said all New Jersey students, educators, staff and visitors must wear face masks in school buildings - regardless of vaccination status - when the new school year begins in September, at least to start the year. Read More: NJ K-12 Students Must Wear Masks This Fall, Gov. Murphy Says

Since Aug. 4, Basking Ridge has reported 32 new positive coronavirus cases. Here is a breakdown of the number of cases, according to Somerset County's Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information Hub:

• Aug. 11 - 11 cases
• Aug. 10 - 4 cases
• Aug. 7 to 9 - 10 cases
• Aug. 6 - 2 cases
• Aug. 5 - 1 case
• Aug. 4 - 10 cases

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