Central Reg. Superintendent Wants Mask Mandate To End In Schools

BERKELEY, NJ — Central Regional’s Superintendent sent a letter to Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday urging him to end the mask mandate for students and teachers in schools.

Superintendent Triantafillos Parlapanides wrote that the vaccination rates among teachers and children’s lowered risk of contracting COVID-19 are reasons to lift the executive order requiring students and faculty to wear face coverings.

“Although children can be infected with SARS-CoV-2, can get sick from COVID-19, and can spread the virus to others, less than 10% of COVID-19 cases in the United States have been among children and adolescents aged 5 – 17 years (COVID Data Tracker),” he wrote. “All teachers that wanted to be vaccinated have been vaccinated so teachers are now safe in the classroom.”

He asked Murphy to repeal Executive Order 175 “so that students can breathe and that at graduation, parents can see their child’s face.”

Parlapanides’ letter comes less than one week after parents protested against the use of face masks in schools at a Central Regional Board of Education meeting and gained his support.

Parlapanides told the parents in attendance that he and the board of education agree with their position on the mask mandate.

He suggested that parents and school officials should work together on a letter writing campaign to Murphy and attend the State Board of Education meetings in Trenton.

Though Murphy signed an executive order lifting the outdoor mask mandate for vaccinated people on Monday, he said New Jersey will keep its indoor mask mandate. Read more: 5 Reasons Why Gov. Murphy Won't Lift NJ COVID-19 Mask Mandate Yet

Murphy also announced Monday that since school districts will return to full in-person remote learning for the 2021-22 academic year, there will no longer be a full-remote option for students this fall. Read more: NJ Lifts COVID Travel Advisory, Orders In-Person School Next Year

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