Gloucester Township Schools Relax Mask Mandate For Hot Days

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Mask wearing is now optional for students and staff in the Gloucester Township K-8 Public School District when the temperature rises above 80 degrees, district officials announced.

“Effective immediately, Gloucester Township Public Schools will allow mask-wearing to be optional for students and faculty for the remainder of the school year when the outside air temperature exceeds 80 degrees Fahrenheit,” Superintendent of Schools John Bilodeau said in a letter posted on their website. “We request everyone to be respectful of individual decisions relative to mask-wearing and expect everyone to follow social distancing norms as we have done all year.”

The announcement came after Gov. Phil Murphy reiterated that local school districts have the flexibility with requiring indoor mask-wearing due to the excessive heat during a news conference Monday afternoon.

"Our current masking requirements do include exceptions for cases of extreme heat and outdoor settings, and for situations indoors or outdoors where wearing a mask would inhibit the individual's health," Murphy said. "School officials are empowered to relax masking among students and staff in their buildings given extreme weather conditions, and we hope they will make the right calls for their educational communities."

Temperatures were expected to hit a high of 91 on Tuesday in Gloucester Township. According to the local forecast, the only day masks might be required would be Friday, when the temperature is only expected to reach 70 degrees.

Here’s a look at the weather forecast for Gloucester Township for the next several days, including what the high/low temperatures for each day are expected to be, according to the National Weather Service:

Wednesday: High of 91, Low of 71
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 91. West wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Wednesday Night
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 8pm and 5am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday: High of 83, Low of 62
A chance of showers and thunderstorms, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 83. Calm wind becoming east around 5 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Thursday Night
Showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm before 8pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8pm and 2am, then a chance of showers after 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 62. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.

Friday: High of 70, Low of 61
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday Night
A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. Chance of precipitation is 40%.