Lawrence Schools Mask Mandate Decision By Feb. 28: Superintendent

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — Superintendent of Lawrence Public Schools said that the district will make a final decision on whether or not to drop the classroom mask mandate by Feb. 28.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced last week that New Jersey will drop its statewide mask mandate for schools, effective March 7. The state will allow individual school districts and daycare centers to maintain masking requirements after that date.

During the recently-held Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Ross Kasun said the decision was a “complex” one.

“The decision we have to make is a lot more complex than the Governor making an announcement,” said Kasun. “Before making a final decision we, as a board, needs more guidance and information from the Department of Education and the Department of Health.”

Kasun cited several examples that could place schools in a tight spot. One example is what happens when a student is back in school on day 6 or 7 after a positive case of COVID-19. Currently, the guidance is for that student to wear a mask for the next 5 days. When the mandate is dropped, will masking be optional for that student after March 7, Kasun wondered.

Another issue involves contact tracing and quarantines. If the current statewide quarantine rules are not adjusted, then schools will be forced to send home all students who are within six feet of a COVID-19 positive student in classrooms. This would result in more children being home for a longer period, leading to learning loss.

“Nothing works in isolation and the DOE has to take the time and devote the resources to truly understand the impact it would have on schools,” Kasun said. “Fortunately, they have a month to do that which is a lot more time than we usually have with any matter with COVID.”

Kasun thanked students, staff and families for their “compliance” and effort in keeping everyone safe by masking up. “Nothing about COVID has been easy or ideal,” Kasun said.

“Once there is an official word on masking for students and staff, and all the parameters are laid out by the state Department of Health and the Department of Education, then our district will be able to make an informed and smart decision,” Kasun said.

The Superintendent said families should expect a decision on the matter by Feb. 28. Over a month ago, Lawrence Public Schools reported 103 positive COVID-19 cases in a single today. On Feb. 9 the number was just 2. If the district reports high positive cases in the next few weeks, it could impact the district’s decision, Kasun said.

Statewide, it's not yet clear what prompted Murphy to put a date on the end of the mask mandate.

Murphy's decision has resulted in debates and strange behavior at school board meetings across the state, including mask protestors ordering pizzas in the middle of a Westfield meeting last week.

Many districts have given varied responses, but several, like Jersey City and Maplewood, said they want to keep an eye on the data before making a decision. East Brunswick meanwhile has decided to go for the mask optional policy.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

Get breaking news alerts on your phone with our app. Download here. Sign up to get Patch emails so you don't miss out on local and statewide news.