Where Do Mahwah Parents, Students Stand On Mask Debate?

MAHWAH, NJ — School district officials recently surveyed a collection of students, parents and staff in an effort to take the pulse of where they stand when it comes to policies that will shape the upcoming return to school.

Among the questions asked were what those stakeholders think about masking for both vaccinated and unvaccinated students and staff, something the district has yet to announce a policy on for the upcoming semester.

These questions will serve as one consideration the district takes into account when finalizing an official return to school plan, which officials are "hopeful" to share at the Aug. 18 Board of Education meeting.

While the results of the survey won't solely inform the decision-making process, they do provide a look into what community members are thinking.

Among the most stark differences are whether unvaccinated students should have to wear masks, versus whether unvaccinated staff should wear masks. As for the latter, 50 percent of those surveyed believe staff who've yet to receive a vaccine should be required to wear masks, while only 37 percent believe the same should be true for unvaccinated students.

For both students and staff who have been vaccinated, survey results show that less than 40 percent of those who participated believe they should have to wear masks. One thing of note, 38 percent believe all students should wear face coverings, regardless of vaccination status, a percentage point higher than a mask mandate strictly applied to unvaccinated students.

A common theme from the survey results is that the collective community believes that the district should do away with a majority of COVID-19 mitigation steps that were a fixture in the 2020 school year. Less than 40 percent believe plexiglass should separate students at lunch, and 33 percent say they'd like to continue without student or staff attestation forms.

Even social distancing measures received a mark of less than half, with 48 percent saying they don't want those guidelines in place during the upcoming school year, at least at this current moment.

There was one item that received overwhelming support, with 82 percent of respondents saying they supported regular touch-point cleaning throughout the school day.

With these results serving as a partial lodestar for the district, officials are still cautious to commit to anything prior to Aug. 18, and even then reserve the right to change course as the situation surrounding the coronavirus and its variants develops.

"We may ultimately need to adjust our in-district protocol based on updates from the New Jersey Department of Health and New Jersey Department of Education mandates," officials said.

To see the full survey results, including a breakdown of how parents, students and staff voted, click here.

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