I want to voice my opinion in favor of keeping the mask requirement in our schools as required by NJ law.

I know you will be getting many emails and phone calls about this issue. I know that the “unmask our kids” crowd is passionate as well.

Especially with the highly infectious Delta variant circulating, removing masks indoors could be a recipe for disaster. Just one infected child could spread the virus to an entire class, especially in elementary schools where no children are yet vaccinated.

This is why both the CDC and the Academy of American Pediatrics strongly recommend masks for unvaccinated children in schools at this point in the pandemic.

Many are saying that the reason why we can drop the mask mandate inside school buildings is because children are at minimal risk for severe COVID. This is true, to some extent.

Yet at the same time, the CDC has data showing that among adolescents who were hospitalized with COVID this past spring, a third were admitted to the ICU and 5% required ventilation. We are seeing huge hospitalization spikes in children who have caught the Delta variant, including children admitted to intensive care units. Over 400 children have died so far of COVID-19.

Last school year proved that kids could go to school and remain safe, even during a global pandemic. Why was this possible? MASKS. Masks worked last school year, and most children adapted well. And part of the reason masks worked well is because all children and staff wore them inside diligently.

If we move toward a maskless or mask-optional environment, especially among children under 12, we risk losing that safety measure that so many of us desire and deserve for our children. Again, all it takes is one maskless, infected individual to spread the virus to many. 

Thank you for your time and consideration.