Glen Rock Undecided On Mask Policy After Gov. Murphy's Comments

GLEN ROCK, NJ — Glen Rock Public Schools officials have a decision to make.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced during a news conference on Monday that students and staff would no longer need to wear masks in the classroom, or school building, unless their district mandates it. What this means is that district officials, not the governor, will be making mask mandate decisions for the upcoming semester.

But districts will have some guidance.

The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) and New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) announced updated health and safety guidelines for the upcoming school year, in which all districts will be required to provide full-time, in-person learning with no remote option.

"The recommendations we are releasing today will provide school districts with a roadmap to bring students and staff back to safe, enriching school environments," Murphy said. "This guidance will help districts and educators develop plans to meet their student's educational, social, emotional and mental health needs. Our students and educators have displayed amazing resiliency during the pandemic, and I am pleased that the upcoming school year will provide a sense of normalcy that students haven't had since March 2020."

Glen Rock officials have yet to make a decision on the matter, but did say they'll follow NJDOE guidelines.

"Glen Rock Schools will review the just released announcement from Governor Murphy regarding guidance for opening schools in September. As this information was just released, it is premature for us to comment on its contents and/or mandates. Regardless, Glen Rock Schools will ensure, as it has this past year, that we strictly adhere to all requirements as outlined by the NJDOE," the district said, in a statement to Patch.

The Department of Education released three documents for districts to follow, including:

• health and safety recommendations that provide strategies to reduce risks to students and staff from COVID-19, while still prioritizing full-time, in-person learning;
• a self-assessment of district readiness to accelerate learning and to provide supportive school climates; and
• a compilation of specific, research-backed priorities and practices accelerating learning.

Districts are advised to follow these recommendations included in the guidance document released on Monday:

• Maintaining physical distance between students to the extent practicable. This recommendation must not prevent a school from offering fulltime in-person learning; districts should implement physical distancing only to the extent they are equipped to do so while still providing regular in-person school operations.
• Interventions to aid with social distancing include facing desks in the same direction and avoiding group seating arrangements.
• Putting procedures in place to identify and respond to a student or staff member who becomes ill with COVID-19 symptoms.
• Maintaining close communication with local health departments to share information and resources on COVID-19 transmission, prevention, and control measures and to establish procedures for notification and response to illness. Schools should also maintain transparent and ongoing communication, as appropriate, with their staff, students, and caregivers regarding school operations and health and safety information.

Officials reiterated that these recommendations are not mandatory, and won't prevent school districts from reopening in the fall.

NJDOE also released a self-assessment tool that school districts may use to develop and implement a plan for the transition to full, in-person instruction. It provides guiding questions and resources in various topics, including learning acceleration, supporting the social-emotional needs of students and educators, attendance, discipline, support for student subgroups, and districts' financial obligations.

NJ DOE also released a guidance document that provides specific research based principles and strategies to accelerate learning and prepare students for the new school year. It is designed to serve as long-term guidance that helps anchor academic, social, and behavioral interventions for the state's school districts.

With reporting from Anthony Bellano.