‘Not So Simple’: South Brunswick Superintendent On Mask Mandate

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — New Jersey will drop its statewide mask mandate for schools, effective March 7. But the decision is “not so simple” for school districts as it requires a “cause-and-effect analysis,” Superintendent Scott Feder told Patch.

Gov. Phil Murphy made the announcement on Monday and set the date for a month from now, to give school districts time to figure out adjustments. The state will allow individual school districts and daycare centers to maintain masking requirements after that date.

“I would hope that with a month of time to prepare, that the Department Of Education (DOE) will be on top of this, interface with the Department Of Health (DOH) and send out communications and guidance to all Boards of Education,” Feder said.

“It is not so simple as a Governor making an announcement — this requires a cause-and-effect analysis as it relates to other existing guidance.”

Feder cited several examples of how schools can be placed in a tight spot. One example is what happens when a student is back in school on day 6 or 7 after a positive case of COVID-19. “Currently, the guidance is for that student to wear a mask for the next 5 days. Will this now be optional, or not? How about the guidance as it relates to close contacts being required to quarantine,” Feder said.

“This rule fluctuates based upon not only where the child is, but also whether they and potential other close contacts were properly wearing masks.”

If the quarantine rules do not adjust, then schools will be forced to send home all students who are within six feet of a COVID-19 positive student in classrooms, said Feder.

This in turn will “create a great deal more exclusions and students not being in-person for their learning.”

“Right now, if children are masked and 3-feet away from each other in a classroom, they are not considered close contacts. This would be a major change and will have a major impact,” Feder said.

The Superintendent told Patch that "nothing works in isolation” and that the DOE has to take the time and devote the resources to truly understanding the impact on schools and the delivery of instruction.

“They have a month to do that, which is a lot more time than ever before on a COVID matter, and should allow them time to think critically and collaborate with school professionals on how they will communicate and guide school districts with this change as well as the impact it will have on other tangential guidance,” Feder said.

The New Jersey Department of Health plans to send updated health guidance to schools.

As far as South Brunswick is concerned, Feder said he’ll be able to offer more thoughts to the Board of Education on the matter when there is an official word.

“Once there is an official word on masking students and staff, and all parameters are carefully and clearly developed and shared, will I be able to offer thoughts on the matter to the Board of Education as they consider this significant change in policy,” he said.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Education Association pushed last month for the state to maintain its school mask mandate amid the omicron variant's surge. The NJEA — the state's largest teachers union — expressed encouragement about the "rapid decline of COVID transmission in New Jersey." Read More: Schools Can Extend Mask Mandate, But NJ Requirement Ends In March

But the NJEA urged state officials to continue following data and listening to public health experts, even if that means reimposing mask mandate after March 7. The union also supported the decision to allow districts to continue mask regulations if they choose to do so.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

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