TRENTON, NJ – It’s no secret that the NJEA leadership, including President Sean Spiller and Vice President Steve Beatty are not ready to let public school children unmasked after nearly two years of wearing facemasks in school.
Today, Governor Phil Murphy announced renewed COVID-19 health emergency and zeroed in on student masking policies, alluding that your children will be wearing a face mask in school when the two-year anniversary of the previous emergency order was declared in March of 2020.
That’s two full years of children wearing face masks in schools. These kids aren’t going to recognize each other’s faces by the time they unmask, sometime in 2023 or 2024.
“We are pleased that Gov. Murphy has committed to this common-sense step to keep public school students and staff safer during this current COVID surge. Everyone is eager for the day that masks and other COVID safety measures are no longer necessary and the best way to achieve that is for New Jersey to continue following all of the school safety measures currently recommended for schools, including masking, social distancing and vaccination for all who are eligible. NJEA will continue to advocate for the measures that are necessary to keep students safe, healthy and learning and that put our state in the best position to finally emerge from this pandemic. We are proud to work with a governor who shares our commitment to protecting our students and providing the safest possible learning environment for them at this challenging time.”