From the desk of NJ Senator Kristin Corrado
TRENTON, NJ – Senator Kristin M. Corrado will introduce a pair of bills that will ensure students in speech therapy, as well as students with intellectual and developmental disabilities, are not mandated to wear masks. These exemptions would apply to students in school districts that continue to mandate students wear masks in school after March 7th.
The first Corrado bill would allow students to unmask during speech-language therapy.
“It is unnecessary and insensitive to demand that young kids with speech disorders wear a face covering when they are participating in speech therapy,” said Corrado (R-40). “A child in speech therapy needs to look at their instructor’s eyes, mouth, and facial expressions to learn how to form the correct speech sounds needed to communicate with others. Requiring kids and speech therapists to mask up significantly hinders development and could delay progress for years.”
This bill will be introduced just days after it was discovered that a 3-year-old in New Jersey was kicked out of speech therapy class due to a mask mandate.
Corrado’s complimentary legislation would allow students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), particularly those with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities, to unmask throughout the school day.
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“Children with special needs may struggle to communicate with their classmates or teachers while wearing a mask,” added Corrado. “While we wait for Governor Murphy’s mask mandate to end, his overbearing executive order is continuing to impede the progress of countless children. Both pieces of legislation will help to override Governor Murphy’s irrational school mask mandate so that our students can better participate in an enriching learning experience.”