NJ Kids Still Have To Wear Masks On Buses Even After March 7

NEW JERSEY — Masks will be optional in many school districts across New Jersey starting March 7, the day Gov. Phil Murphy ends his statewide mandate — but kids still have to wear masks on the school bus.

That's the latest from Gov. Murphy's office, where a spokeswoman for the governor confirmed Wednesday that — unless the federal Department of Transportation changes its rules — NJ schoolkids still have to mask up on the bus to and from school.

"School buses are subject to federal masking regulations," said Murphy spokeswoman Alyana Alfaro, who referred to this FAQ from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

"Yes, school bus operators, including operations by public school districts, and their passengers are required to wear masks as defined by the Order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ... the CDC states that passengers and drivers on school buses must wear a mask unless the driver is the only person on the bus. This requirement applies to all school buses whether publicly or privately owned," wrote the federal DOT.

A federal DOT spokesperson said Thursday they stand by that FAQ and it is still valid.

The Department of Transportation said it is only following this January 2021 order from the CDC that requires masks be worn on all forms of public transportation, including buses (including school buses), subways, trains and airplanes.

NJ.com also reported that certain New Jersey school districts are already warning kids will still have to be masked up on the bus after March 7: “It is important to note, the end of the mask mandate does not relate to school buses,” the Freehold Regional High School District wrote in an email home to parents Tuesday, according to NJ.com. “The federal requirement that masks be work on public transportation remains in place. This means that while riding on a school bus, a mask must still be worn.”

The state of Massachusetts, which plans to lift its school mask mandate Feb. 28, similarly said Wednesday children still have to wear a mask on the bus in that state.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told Reuters Tuesday that she actually disagrees with the ending of in-school mask mandates being done by New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Delaware, California and Oregon, saying “now is not the moment."

In states that never had a school mask mandate, such as Florida, masks on school buses has been a back-and-forth battle: The Miami-Dade school district first wanted kids to wear masks on the school bus, but then had to pull the order after Gov. Ron DeSantis said school districts would lose state funding if masks were not made an individual choice.

DeSantis said his order applied even to school buses, apparently defying the federal Department of Transportation.

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