Mask Mandate Remains In Newark Schools As Return To Class Nears

NEWARK, NJ — “Masks are required at all times when entering district facilities, locations and properties.” There’s a good chance that this message – seen on the Newark Public School District website this week – may still be the law of the land when students return to classrooms for a new school year, reports say.

Back-to-class planning has already begun for parents and students in New Jersey’s largest school district, with the first day set for Tuesday, Sept. 6.

The district’s face mask mandate – which was still active when students dismissed for the summer – remained in place as of Monday. But administrators haven’t ruled out the possibility of dropping the mask requirement at some point, possibly even before the first day of school, NJ.com reported.

Masks were required in school buildings all last year. However, the district has since removed some of its COVID-19 precautions, such as desk sneeze guards and footwear sanitizing stations, TAP Into Newark reported.

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

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page.