First Day Of School In Newark Includes Masks; Vaccine Rates Cited

NEWARK, NJ — More than 38,000 students returned for a new school year in Newark on Tuesday. And each of them was wearing a familiar back-to-school supply: a face mask.

The Newark Public School District is one of the last in New Jersey to have a mask mandate for students, staff and visitors, which it never dropped last year. Masks are required at all times when entering district facilities, locations and properties.

In an effort to battle back the coronavirus, New Jersey had required all school districts to mandate mask-wearing. But amid falling COVID-19 numbers and rising vaccination rates, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that the state was lifting its mandate on March 7, leaving it up to each school district to choose its own masking policy.

After Murphy’s announcement, a wave of districts made masking optional or nixed their mandates altogether. But the Newark Public School District was among those that stood firm, keeping its local mandate in place.

• See related article: NJ School Mask Mandate Ends, But Some Districts Stand Firm

That policy remained in place as Newark students kicked off the 2022-2023 year on Tuesday.

Some have pointed to the current vaccination numbers in Newark as a reason to continue the mask mandate. That line of reasoning has the support of John Abeigon, president of the Newark Teachers Union, ABC New York reported.

“If you’re upset that your child has to wear the mask, in the classroom, get them vaccinated,” Abeigon said. “The sooner we have a higher number of kids vaccinated, the sooner those masks can come down.”

• See related article: No Mobile COVID Vaccine Clinics In Essex County This Week

According to the New Jersey Department of Health, here’s how many people have had at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine in Newark as of Wednesday:

• All Ages: 84%
• 5 through 11: 38%
• 5 and over: 90%
• 12 through 17: 87%
• 12 and over: > 90%
• 18 and over: > 90%
• 30 and over: > 90%
• 65 and over: > 90%

The end of masking in Newark’s public schools may be in sight, however, according to Superintendent Roger León.

“We are almost at the same stage to be able to say that masks are optional,” León told Pix11.com. “We are looking forward in the coming weeks to be able to announce that.”

That may not be soon enough for some critics, however. State Senate Republican Leader Steven Oroho recently used the mask mandate in Newark’s public schools as an example of a COVID mandate that he says forces educators to be "mask police." Read More: Gov. Murphy Heads To White House To Talk Teacher Shortage

Some families in the Brick City are also pushing for an end to the mask mandate.

“My child cannot start yet another school year wearing masks when the majority of children throughout New Jersey and the country are returning to school with some kind of normalcy,” a local parent told Chalkbeat Newark.

• See related article: 'Better Late Than Never,' GOP Senator Says As NJ Lifts COVID Mandate

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