Parents Protest School Mask Mandates In Mercer County Rally

MERCER COUNTY, NJ — A group of New Jersey parents planned a protest in Trenton to coincide with Wednesday’s State Board of Education meeting.

The group named “UnMask NJ Students” called for a protest in Trenton saying they do not want children to be masked in the fall when they return to school.

Members gathered outside the state Department of Education holding signs saying "Free The Smiles," "Stop Masking Children," and "Unmask Our Kids." The number of protestors was small and they came mainly from towns outside Mercer County.

In June Gov. Phil Murphy said students in New Jersey schools will not be required to wear masks inside buildings. Many school districts said they were doing away with mask mandates for the fall.

Read More Here: No Mask Mandate For NJ Students This Fall, Gov. Murphy Says

But many protesting parents said they did not receive a confirmation letter from their respective school districts.

“Lots of us are celebrating because some school districts wrote letters confirming mask optional next year. But some of us did not get that letter,” the group said in a Facebook post.

“Letter or not, this does not mean changes won’t be made. Let the State BOE know that we will not allow our children to be masked at all next school year!”

For Wednesday, the group called on parents to "assemble together to discuss strategies for September and as well as option to join online SBOE meeting."

The NJ State BOE met on Wednesday at 9 a.m. (click here to see the meeting agenda).

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