Bridgewater-Raritan Students Can Remove Masks If Needed In Heat

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — As temperatures rise, Bridgewater-Raritan Regional Schools will be relaxing their face mask policy for students temporarily.

"Any student or staff member who is experiencing breathing problems or any other health-related problems due to the excessive heat, may remove their mask for this week at any time. All individuals should plan to bring masks with them to school but can take them off as necessary," said Interim Superintendent Dr. Thomas Ficarra in a letter to the community on Tuesday.

Ficarra stressed that the relaxing of the mask rules is only applied this week through Friday, June 11 due to the heat.

"This should not be interpreted as a general statement that masks will no longer be required. With that said, please know that this exception can be repeated as necessary during any periods of extreme heat," said Ficarra.

The decision went into effect on Tuesday following a tweet from Gov. Phil Murphy saying districts can make that decision in cases of extreme heat.

REMINDER: School officials are empowered to relax masking among students and staff in their buildings given extreme weather conditions. pic.twitter.com/oBIjUfBFgT
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 7, 2021

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