Barnegat Schools Won't Require Masks As COVID Cases Drop

BARNEGAT, NJ — The Barnegat school district will not mandate masks this fall if the town’s coronavirus rates continue to remain in the low risk category.

As the new school year approaches, the district will use data-driven metrics to determine whether safety measures like masks, dividers, temperature checks or a daily COVID-19 form are necessary.

The district ended the year with no cases among staff or students, according to Superintendent Brian Latwis. Townwide data also shows a single-digit number of new cases over the last 14 days.

“We have, and will continue to, prioritize safety of staff and students and to ensure we are putting everyone in the best possible state to learn and grow,” Latwis said.

Gov. Phil Murphy presented updated guidelines for schools at a Monday news conference, in which he announced that students in New Jersey schools will not be required to wear masks inside unless their district mandates it for the 2021-22 academic year.

"The recommendations we are releasing today will provide school districts with a roadmap to bring students and staff back to safe, enriching school environments," Murphy said. "This guidance will help districts and educators develop plans to meet their student's educational, social, emotional and mental health needs. Our students and educators have displayed amazing resiliency during the pandemic, and I am pleased that the upcoming school year will provide a sense of normalcy that students haven't had since March 2020."

The Department of Education released three documents for districts to follow, including:

• health and safety recommendations that provide strategies to reduce risks to students and staff from COVID-19, while still prioritizing full-time, in-person learning;
• a self-assessment of district readiness to accelerate learning and to provide supportive school climates; and
• a compilation of specific, research-backed priorities and practices accelerating learning.

Districts are advised to follow these recommendations included in the guidance document released on Monday:

• Maintaining physical distance between students to the extent practicable. This recommendation must not prevent a school from offering fulltime in-person learning; districts should implement physical distancing only to the extent they are equipped to do so while still providing regular in-person school operations.
  • Interventions to aid with social distancing include facing desks in the same direction and avoiding group seating arrangements.
• Putting procedures in place to identify and respond to a student or staff member who becomes ill with COVID-19 symptoms.
• Maintaining close communication with local health departments to share information and resources on COVID-19 transmission, prevention, and control measures and to establish procedures for notification and response to illness. Schools should also maintain transparent and ongoing communication, as appropriate, with their staff, students, and caregivers regarding school operations and health and safety information.

Officials reiterated that these recommendations are not mandatory, and won't prevent school districts from reopening in the fall.

NJDOE also released a self-assessment tool that school districts may use to develop and implement a plan for the transition to full, in-person instruction. It provides guiding questions and resources in various topics, including learning acceleration, supporting the social-emotional needs of students and educators, attendance, discipline, support for student subgroups, and districts' financial obligations.

NJDOE also released a guidance document that provides specific research based principles and strategies to accelerate learning and prepare students for the new school year. It is designed to serve as long-term guidance that helps anchor academic, social, and behavioral interventions for the state's school districts.

The three documents can be found on the NJDOE website.

With reporting from Anthony Bellano.

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