NJ Anti-Mask Group To Start Learning Pods As School Alternative

SOMERSET COUNTY, NJ — Bedminster local and anti-mask advocate Caitlin Cunningham is working on offering parents an alternative to schooling after Gov. Phil Murphy said New Jersey students in grades K-12 will be required to wear face masks starting in September.

The announcement on Friday came after an increase in positive coronavirus cases driven by the highly contagious delta variant, which now accounts for more than 93 percent of all new cases in the United States, according to data released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cunningham, who is the founder of the Child Advocate Coalition LLC, does not believe masks help and instead said she believes it is "conditioning children to be put under control."

"We are not dealing with this. We are standing up for what is right," said Cunningham.

As part of her effort, Cunningham created and distributed 1,000 signs with the slogan "Unmask Our Kids" across the state. She said she had previously been approached by moms concerned with the upcoming school year who say their "kids' can not breathe with a mask on."

Cunningham and her group were also protesting during Murphy's school mask announcement outside Memorial Elementary School in East Brunswick on Friday.

On Monday, Murphy had issued a strong message to anyone who continues to downplay the spread of the coronavirus among children. Read More: NJ Governor Lashes Out Again, This Time At Mask Mandate Critics

"When they say 'only,' they are saying that they are perfectly willing to accept children landing in the ICU or dying from COVID," Murphy said during a news conference on Monday. "They won't say it out loud, but it's exactly what they are saying, and I cannot be kind about that. It shouldn't come as any surprise that we will reject that in its entirety. We are not going to sacrifice the health of any child, any educator, any family or any community."

A former nanny, Cunningham, said she has now decided to offer parents another option to learning with pods.

Cunningham calls it a "grassroots effort" and is in the process of working with teachers who left the school system to help teach.

Pods will be set up and offered for students in all 21 New Jersey counties at an undetermined cost. In Somerset County, Cunningham is planning to offer a local pod in an art studio that she is opening in Bridgewater.

On Friday, Cunningham said she had more than 450 families express interest in the pods in less than 12 hours. To learn more about the pods visit unmasknjschools.com.

Masks are still recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the New Jersey Education Association also support the decision on face masks. Health officials, including those at the CDC, have warned of rising coronavirus case numbers in New Jersey, possibly driven by the more contagious delta variant. Vaccines are available for students ages 12-15 years old, but children ages 11-and-under still have no option for being vaccinated.

• Read More: Russ's Ravings: A Mask Is The Only Thing Protecting My Child

"Here in New Jersey we have seen a concerning rise in viral spread," said Dr. Jeanne Craft, President of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. "A hopeful spring has become a worrisome summer. The conditions have changed, the risk is higher, especially for children. We need to move forward with an abundance of caution. We have come so far, but we need to continue to rely on scientific evidence and expert advice to keep children, teachers, school staff and communities as safe as possible."

"We're not going to surrender our kids to this virus, unlike those who are opposed to this common sense plan," Murphy said. "On one side, those who are willing to sacrifice our kids for politics. On the other, those of us committed to doing everything we can to protect them."

Murphy also made the comments after announcing that there are now 13 children who have been hospitalized with the coronavirus, including two in intensive care. He blasted those who would use the word "only" in front of that number, citing the seven deaths of children under the age of 18 since the pandemic began in March 2020.

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