Mask Optional Approach Planned To Continue At Clark Schools

CLARK, NJ — Administrators in the Clark School District are not making any changes just yet to its masking policy as the new school year approaches.

"We are still planning to continue with our masking optional approach," said Superintendent Ed Grande.

As the delta variant spurs a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Tuesday recommended that people who are vaccinated and in areas at high risk for the coronavirus wear masks indoors.

On Wednesday, Gov. Phil Murphy and state Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli followed the CDC's recommendation and announced they "strongly recommend" masking in indoor settings for both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents due to increased risk. Read More: NJ Updates Mask Guidance After CDC Announcement

"Our metrics are trending in the wrong direction, and new data suggests the Delta variant is more transmissible even among vaccinated individuals, which is why we are making this strong recommendation," said Murphy and Persichilli in a joint statement.

Speaking during a news conference Monday, Murphy said he's not backing down on his stance that schools need to return to a fully in-person, five-day a week format in the fall. And while the state is not mandating the use of masks among unvaccinated students, school districts can choose to go beyond what the state is recommending, he said.

• See related: NJ Mask Mandates Guided By 'Local Realities,' Gov. Says
• See related: Delta Variant Continues Spread Despite NJ Vaccination Compliance

In June, Grande said in a letter to the community that students will not be required to wear masks inside for the 2021-22 academic year.

"We will be continuing with our mask optional approach that was in place at the end of this past school year. The negative impact that the masks were having on our students and staff members was eliminated while those who still wanted to wear one were provided with that level of comfort," said Grande in June. "In addition, we were fortunate not to see an increase in our case counts since that change was put into place." Read More: No Masks Required For Clark Students This Fall

The next Board of Education will be held on Aug. 9 at 7 p.m. online.

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