Students K-12 Must Wear Masks Beginning of 2021-2022 School Year

Governor Murphy Announced Indoor Mask Requirement for Beginning of 2021-2022 School Year
In a just few weeks, summer will be over and the beginning of the school year will begin. Per Governor Murphy, all staff members and students from kindergarten to 12th grade will be required to wear masks in New Jersey schools when the new year begins.

Today, Governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy, announced that all students, educators, staff, and visitors will be required to wear face masks indoors for the start of the 2021-2022 school year.
Executive Order (EO) 251, was signed and will mandate masking in the indoor premises of all public, private, and parochial preschool, elementary, and secondary school buildings, with limited exceptions. The Executive Order is effective on Monday, August 9, 2021.

According to the Office of the Governor, while masks will be broadly required in school buildings for the coming school year, exceptions will remain unchanged from the 2020-2021 school year, and include:

When doing so would inhibit the individual’s health, such as when the individual is exposed to extreme heat indoors

When the individual has trouble breathing, is unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a face covering without assistance

When a student’s documented medical condition or disability, as reflected in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Educational Plan pursuant to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, precludes use of a face covering

When the individual is under two (2) years of age

When an individual is engaged in an activity that cannot be performed while wearing a mask, such as eating and drinking or playing an instrument that would be obstructed by the face covering

When the individual is engaged in high-intensity aerobic or anerobic activity

When a student is participating in high-intensity physical activities during a physical education class in a well-ventilated location and able to maintain a physical distance of six feet from all other individuals

When wearing a face covering creates an unsafe condition in which to operate equipment or execute a task.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Governor Murphy's Office at (609) 292-6000 or visit Office of the Governor for more information and recent press releases.