Schools
Woodbridge Students No Longer Have To Wear Masks In School
Students still have to wear a mask all the time when they are on school buses. But not in school buildings, hallways or classrooms.
WOODBRIDGE, NJ — Effective immediately, masks are now optional for all Woodbridge public school students and teachers.
Students still have to wear a mask all the time when they are on school buses.
The decision was announced Thursday by Woodbridge's new superintendent of schools, Joe Massimino, who just took over July 1.
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While Massimino emphasized this was only the rules for the summer session, the mask-optional policy will likely carry over to the fall.
"Students are required to wear masks on all of our school buses. Students have the option of wearing masks in schools and school settings. There is no penalty if you do or do not choose to wear a mask; this is an individual decision each family will make," wrote Massimino in a letter home to Woodbridge school parents Thursday.
Find out what's happening in Woodbridgefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"We encourage parents to discuss the decision with their children so they are comfortable entering our schools. We are asking that all parents continue to be proactive and keep your child home if they display any symptoms or signs of illness."
"Looking forward to September of 2021, our hope is that the information from the Governor’s office will remain in place and the aforementioned protocols can be utilized," he added in the letter.
On Monday of this week, Gov. Phil Murphy made the ground-breaking announcement that there will be no state mandate requiring school students wear masks this fall, and he will leave it on a district-by-district basis to decide if kids have to wear masks.
New Jersey school districts have interpreted that very differently:
Wyckoff, a wealthy North Jersey suburb, will not require masks in the fall. Newark public schools, however, already said they will still require students and teachers to wear them.
Related: No Mask Mandate For NJ Students This Fall, Gov. Murphy Says (June 28)
Masks For Newark Public School Students, Staff Will Continue (June 29)
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