Some Woodbridge Parents Ask School Board To Fight Mask Mandate

WOODBRIDGE, NJ — A group of local parents will attend the Woodbridge Board of Education meeting Wednesday night, where they hope to convince the Board that masks should be optional in New Jersey schools this fall.

Tara (last name withheld for privacy), a mother of two, is one of those parents.

She said she understand that it was Gov. Phil Murphy, and not Woodbridge, that created the mask mandate, and also that school boards have no choice but to follow Murphy's executive order 251, which mandates masks for students and teachers in all New Jersey schools.

"I know what a state mandate is and I know the Board of Ed. cannot defy a statewide mandate," she said Tuesday. "We just want the Board to hear us. We are asking for someone at the Woodbridge Board of Ed. to stand up and fight for us."

Tara said she would like the Woodbridge BOE to send a letter, as school districts like Holmdel, Toms River, Brick and Wayne have done, asking the governor to either make masks optional statewide or let individual school districts make their own decisions.

With 26 schools and more than 13,000 students, Woodbridge is the eighth largest school system in the state. The first day of school for Woodbridge students is Sept. 7.

"We're not going to say tomorrow night whether we think masks work or not. That's not the point," she said. "We just want to have a choice. I am not trying to stop you if you want to put a mask on your child. Just respect my rights as an American. We just want to have a choice."

Tara said she was "so excited" to send her two children back to Woodbridge public schools last year, after months of virtual learning and lockdowns.

"My kids have been suffering throughout the entire pandemic and they were not learning on virtual," she said. "So it was like OK great, get out of the house, go to school! But then my son would come home every day with a headache, a headache so bad and tired that he had to take a nap when he got home. Masks were really taking a toll on his health."

Tara also said she is well aware the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend mask wearing for children.

However:

"They're young and their immune systems are great," she said. "Plus, these are cloth masks and I don't think kids are wearing them properly for six+ hours straight anyway. No matter what, there will always be spikes and case increases in a virus. I just want people to be able to choose."

She said she expects a crowd of 10-15 at the meeting Wednesday night. She also said she thinks there are a lot of Woodbridge parents who agree with her but "they are too scared to speak out. Even if we are a small gathering, next time we will be larger."

The Woodbridge BOE will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Ross Street School.

These New Jersey school districts are currently battling Murphy's K-12 mask mandate, which he issued Aug. 6. They are:

Holmdel: Holmdel BOE President Vicky Flynn wrote a letter to Murphy, asking him to drop the mandate.

Middletown: Middletown has probably been the most aggressive fighting the governor's mask mandate, as the BOE in that town tried to pass a policy that would allow parents to write notes saying mask wearing inhibits their child's health. However, just on Monday, Murphy said that wouldn't fly.

Brick: Brick School Board Again Urges Local Control On Masks In School (Aug. 20)

Toms River: The BOE sent a letter to Murphy urging him to rescind the mask mandate. Republican governor candidate Jack Ciattarelli attended their meeting last week, urging the Toms River BOE to keep fighting.

Wall Twp.: Sent a letter to Murphy asking him to leave it to local school districts.

Manasquan: The Manasquan BOE sent a letter to Murphy, asking him to leave mask-wearing decisions up to the local districts.

Barnegat Township: Sent a letter to Murphy asking for school districts to make local decisions.

Wayne: The Wayne BOE officially asked Murphy to make masks optional, but some parents there said they support the mandate.

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