Wayne Schools To Address Masking, Fall Return At Next Meeting

WAYNE, NJ — Public school officials will need to consider a rise in COVID-19 cases, and perhaps shifting mask guidance, when finalizing a return to school plan for the fall.

Gov. Phil Murphy said this week that masking decisions will be made with "local realities" in mind in the midst of a rise in the delta variant. These comments followed guidance from federal officials which recommend the use of masks in public.

Superintendent Mark Toback, when asked about what this could mean for schools in the district, said no official stance will be made until the next Board of Education meeting, scheduled for August.

"The bottom line is that we have not shared our reopening plans with the BOE or community at this point," he said, in an email to Patch.

As of now, the state is not mandating the use of masks among unvaccinated students, school districts can go beyond what the state is recommending, Murphy said.

"The CDC matters a lot to us," Murphy said. "We largely look to the CDC for a lot of guidance. We always take that into consideration, but you have to take into account the reality of what your state looks like. A national recommendation may or may not be consistent with the facts on the ground."

Decision makers across the state find themselves in the same position as Toback, with Bridgewater, Woodbridge and West Orange officials all telling Patch that they're working toward a decision.

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