Hopatcong Plans To Make Schools ‘Mask-Optional’ For September

HOPATCONG, NJ — Though summer’s just started, the Hopatcong Borough Schools readies for September and with Governor Phil Murphy’s announcement on Monday that districts can choose whether or not masks will be required when students return to school in the fall, Hopatcong Schools is planning to be “mask-optional” for staff and students.

Assistant Superintendent Joseph Piccirillo said Wednesday, the governor’s announcement was promising.

“We are very encouraged by the latest news from the governor, which appears to finally align the expectations for schools with the rest of life in New Jersey,” Piccirillo said.

Both Superintendent Art DiBenedetto and Piccirillo had written a letter to Murphy on June 1, asking for more clarity on what they could expect for the start of the new school year. DiBenedetto and Piccirillo had told Murphy in their letter, the district is equipped with proper air filtration and has supervised social distancing for students, reasons they suggested the mandate should be lifted for not just their district, but others throughout New Jersey.

Hopatcong Schools also made masks optional in the heat, when the governor relaxed restrictions at the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

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