West Orange Schools Undecided On Masks As Delta Variant Hits NJ

WEST ORANGE, NJ —Administrators in the West Orange Public School District are still mulling over questions surrounding masks and other reopening plans as the new school year nears.

As the delta variant spurs a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases across the country, federal officials over the weekend recommended the use of face masks in public. But while numbers continue to spike in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy said that decision should reflect "local realities."

Speaking during a news conference Monday, Murphy said he's not backing down on his stance that schools need to return to a fully in-person, five-day a week format in the fall. And while the state is not mandating the use of masks among unvaccinated students, school districts can choose to go beyond what the state is recommending, he said.

• See related article: NJ Mask Mandates Guided By 'Local Realities,' Gov. Says
• See related article: Delta Variant Continues Spread Despite NJ Vaccination Compliance

Will students and staff in West Orange have to wear masks when they return to class in the fall? Will the delta variant play a role in the decision? It's still too early to tell, officials say.

"Presently, the district is working through its school reopening plans in several subcommittees: health and safety, curriculum instruction, and assessment, and mental health and social emotional well-being," superintendent Scott Cascone told Patch on Monday.

"I am assembling an independent public health and safety advisory board comprised of the district physician, the director of the West Orange Department of Health, two school nurses, an infection control practitioner from a local hospital, an epidemiologist, a physician who served on a similar panel for a private school last year, and a child psychologist specializing in the school environment and social emotional well-being," Cascone said.

"The district expects to have its draft protocols outlined by next week, which will then be vetted through this advisory board for appropriateness and efficacy," Cascone added. "The district expects to be communicating in greater specificity to the staff and parent communities on or around August 16 in these regards."

Earlier this month, Cascone said that one of the "many articles of information" guiding planning efforts is The Road Forward, which has been provided to all New Jersey public schools by the Department of Education.

"Additionally, as performed during the previous year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines are monitored with regularity and adhered to," he said. "Any and all changes or updates affecting our district, including best practices for implementation now and moving forward are part of the conversations."

"We are addressing student and staff needs with projections obtained from the authorities as they become known in real time," the superintendent said.

• See related article: West Orange Official Gives Update On 'Safe Return To School'

Last year, students in West Orange were "encouraged" to attend in-person classes wearing a mask, which were later made "optional" when temperatures topped 85 degrees and the humidity was 85 percent or higher.

• See related article: Masks Now Optional Indoors When It Gets Hot In West Orange Schools

In June, the district released its "Plan for Safe Return to In-Person Instruction," which was required to apply for federal funding. The tentative blueprint included a plan for masks in West Orange for the 2021-22 school year:

"All students and staff are expected to wear a protective face covering/face mask that completely covers the nose and mouth when riding the school bus and inside the school building. Students who cannot wear a mask for the entirety of the bus trip may not be permitted on the bus."

But according to Cascone, those plans may now be up in the air as federal guidance shifts ... yet again.

"At the time that we created our safe return plan, we were basing that plan on the existing CDC and department of health guidelines," Cascone told Patch. "Subsequent to the submission of the safe return plan, the state and CDC issued revised guidelines for the school setting."

"It is these revised guidelines and directives, if you will, that are now driving and informing the planning process," he added. "In my experience, all superintendents with whom I have spoken are in the same place."

This article contains reporting by Anthony Bellano and Montana Samuels, Patch staff

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