East Orange schools to continue districtwide mask mandate

EAST ORANGE, NJ — East Orange Superintendent of Schools AbdulSaleem Hasan sent a letter to the community on Feb. 23 to discuss the district’s plans in regard to Gov. Phil Murphy announcing Feb. 7 that, as of March 7, face masks will no longer be mandated for students, staff and visitors at schools and childcare centers. Murphy made this announcement in response to declining COVID-19 numbers statewide. Nevertheless, East Orange School District leadership has decided to continue a districtwide mask mandate for now, taking a cautious approach.

“Upon notification of the announcement, East Orange School District officials immediately met with the local health department to discuss the transmission rate within the community, as well as the data percentages of those fully vaccinated in our surrounding area,” Hasan wrote in the letter. “Additionally, district officials reached out to stakeholders — a group comprising parents/guardians, staff, and students in grades six through 12 — to provide an opportunity to share their views on the governor’s announcement.”

According to Hasan, of the 1,130 survey responses from parents and guardians, 86.9 percent said they “would like the East Orange School District to extend the mask mandate until we are sure that we are providing the safest environment for our children and employees.” Of the 829 survey responses from staff members, 82.6 percent were in favor of extending the districtwide mask mandate. Of the 580 student responses, 67.1 percent were in favor of extending the mandate.

Based on the survey results and conversations with the East Orange Health Department, the school district has decided to continue a districtwide mask mandate through Thursday, April 14. As such, every employee, student, parent or guardian, and visitor on district grounds or attending district events must continue to wear a face mask.

  Abdulsaleem Hasan, COVID-19, East Orange School District, Phil Murphy