Hundreds Protest In Stafford To Support Suspended School Nurse

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — A few hundred people attended an outdoor rally on Monday to support a Stafford Township school nurse who was suspended for reporting to work without wearing a face mask.

Erin Pein, 35, has called the mask mandate in schools “child abuse,” citing concerns for the health and emotional development of young children. Read more: Stafford School Nurse Suspended After Refusing To Wear Face Mask

In an interview with Republican gubernatorial candidate Hirsh Singh, Pein said she addressed her concerns to school officials. After her supervisor said the district would continue to follow the state’s mask mandate, Pein reported to work without wearing a face mask.

On the second day she came to work, the school district suspended Pein without pay. The Stafford Township School district’s attorney Martin Buckley told Patch that the district could not comment on the incident at this time.

Her remarks contradict the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidance, which advises wearing face masks is a "critical step" in reducing the spread of COVID-19.

About 400 people attended the rally to support Pein on Monday afternoon outside the Stafford Township Arts Center, where the board of education met later that evening.

The rally’s organizers encouraged people to sign petition forms for grievances against the face mask requirement in schools that will be sent to the New Jersey Department of Education.

Throughout the rally, speakers echoed similar concerns about young children's physical and mental health that align with Pein’s beliefs, in addition to citing CDC data that found children have a lower risk of contracting COVID-19 compared to adults.

A few speakers also took aim at the state for preparing the emergency authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children.

Word of the protest spread throughout the state, drawing the attention of Republican gubernatorial candidates Phil Rizzo and Singh, both who spoke during the rally.

Many parents attended the protest with their children or on behalf of their children, including a Bridgewater couple who decided to attend after their third-grade daughter vomited in her mask last week.

“We have kids and I see the damage it’s doing to the kids. My daughter specifically threw up in her mask last week at school during gym. It’s just not right,” said Mary Ventrice, who considers Pein a hero.

“We’re here to support Erin and what she’s doing to stand up for all of our kids,” she said.

A Bayville mother attended the protest after hearing about it from a friend whose children are enrolled in the Stafford Township School District. Kimberly Bruner watched interviews of Pein on Fox News, and interviews of her speaking with Singh and Rizzo.

“I was impressed when I watched her because she was very well-spoken. She seems very concerned about the kids and she just had to speak up,” Bruner said.

During the school board meeting later that evening, Superintendent George Chidiac read a statement about the district's face mask requirement.

“As a public school district, we are required to follow all our guidelines from the CDC, the New Jersey Department of Health as well as the New Jersey Department of Education state mandates, and the executive orders as set forth by the governor. Please know that we do not have the authority to change a policy in which there is a state mandate,” Chidiac said.

According to Chidiac, the district received between 50 and 60 phone calls and emails from non-Stafford residents, and about 10 calls from parents in Stafford expressing “different positions” on the mask mandate.

Chidiac said the ramifications of violating a state mandate could result in being subject to liability, the loss of state aid and potential school closures.

“The debate should be in Trenton and not here in Stafford Schools, as the NJDEA sets forth the mandates that we must adhere to, and I truly hope you understand the obligations and responsibilities we have as a board of education and as a public school district,” Chidiac said.

Following the school board's closed session, three employee contracts were not renewed though the faculty were not identified.

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