By Anthony Payero
(NEW JERSEY) New Jersey officials announced the health and safety guidance for the 2021-2022 school year on Monday, according to ABC 7.
Gov. Phil Murphy revealed all public school districts in New Jersey are expected to offer full-time, in-person learning for the upcoming school year.
According to Murphy, face masks will not be enforced for students in school buildings at the start of the year — unless if made mandatory by a school district itself.
The governor said the state expects new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding face masks and New Jersey's Department of Education and Department of Health will match their recommendations to remain consistent.
"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."
According to ABC 7, the strategies are not required but are suggested to the public. For example, if one of the strategies is not in place, schools can still open for full-day, in-person learning.
Schools are encouraged to follow any or all of these recommendations to ensure a safe environment during the school year, per ABC 7:
- Maintaining physical distance between students to the extent practicable. This recommendation must not prevent a school from offering full-time 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.
"While this guidance will help schools plan for Fall, the best way to keep schools open and safe is to get vaccinated," said Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli. "Now is the time for parents of children between the ages of 12 and 17 to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment to allow enough time for that second shot before school starts."