TOMS RIVER, N.J. (WCBS 880) — A school district in New Jersey that had a mask-optional policy in place at the beginning of the school year has reported around 250 COVID-19 cases — and hundreds of students and staff members are in quarantine.
At the peak, there were roughly 1,100 students and staff in quarantine in the Toms River school district, though that number is now closer to 800.
The district has drawn some criticism for implementing a mask-optional policy for the first eight days of the school year due to excessive heat and humidity.
District Superintendent Stephen Genco, however, countered reports that the district was lax with mask enforcement. On hot days, there was leeway in buildings without air conditioning — in accordance with the state’s executive order, he said.
“The only time that we were using the excessive heat option, which is part of the executive order, was in the first few days of school, when the humidity factors were very, very high and half of our schools don’t have air conditioning,” he explained.
Students and teachers were required to wear masks “as soon as the humidity went down,” he told WCBS 880.
“Half our schools are air conditioned, so they were in masks on day one. And we’ve seen the same trends in those schools as where we recommended masks,” he said. “Our student total confirmed cases is 1.56% — that’s 226 students all year. And our staff is 33, which is 1.5% of the population.”
“Our numbers are right in line with districts that are smaller, but their numbers are being reported smaller,” he added.
The superintendent believes most of the COVID-19 cases the district has recorded were transmitted outside of school.
Moving forward, the district is looking for ways to create more space in schools. Some students will be able to eat lunch in class in order to avoid the cafeteria, and dances could be held outdoors, he said.
The district is also working with contact tracers, he added.
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