By Ron Benvenisti. The CDC is dropping most indoor mask recommendations today, Friday, February 25. Citing new metrics, the CDC is expected to say Friday that most Americans will no longer be advised to wear masks indoors.

The change comes as nearly all U.S. states that had put in place indoor mask-wearing mandates for the winter omicron surge are letting them lapse as cases have precipitously dropped nationwide.

A letter released yesterday afternoon by the Lakewood Board of Education Superintendent of Schools, Laura A. Winters, says that masks will be optional.

If you would like your child to continue to wear a mask in school, please complete the information on the following link: https://forms.gle/CfH9aESsAYUSwbvLA

A hard copy of this letter and form will be sent home with your child for those of you who cannot access the link. Please complete and return if applicable.

At the Board of Education Meeting on February 23, 2022, the decision was made to make masks optional in schools beginning Monday, March 7, 2022.

Masks Optional – Parents that want their child to continue to wear a mask during school hours as of March 7, 2022

As of March 7, 2022, the state mandate requiring in school universal masking will expire.

The following schools are affected:

• LECC, Campus 1
• LECC, Campus 2
• LECC, Campus 3
• Spruce Street School
• Piner Elementary School
• Clifton Avenue Grade School
• Ella G. Clarke School
• Oak Street School
• Lakewood Middle School
• Lakewood High School

However, due to Federal mandates, all students must continue to wear a mask on school buses, until such time the mandate is lifted.

If you would like your child to continue to wear a mask in school, please complete the information below.

For the Health and Safety all students, staff and their families, the District will continue to follow the NJDOH’s recommendations, will can be found in the 2021-2022 Safe Return Plan.

Thank you.

Laura A. Winters, Superintendent of Schools

The District will continue to follow the 2021-2022 Safe Return plan, which includes but is not limited to the below recommendations of the New Jersey Department of Health (Please see plan for details.):

• All school nurses will continue to report COVID-19 positive cases to the Department of Health.
• All school nurses will continue to report all positive and negative rapid antigen test results for those students and employees who are provided a rapid antigen test at school.
• All schools will continue to maintain physical distancing, to the best extent possible.
• All schools will continue to cohort students, to the best extent possible.
• All schools will continue to perform effective contact tracing and self-isolate those identified as close contacts who are not vaccinated, unless they have had COVID-19 within the past 90 days or are taking part in the Test-to-Stay program.
• Students in the Test-to-Stay program must wear a mask until their quarantine period is over.
• Students and employees with a positive COVID-19 PCR test result must continue to isolate for ten days from the day of their first symptom. If asymptomatic the ten day isolation period begins the day they obtained their COVID-19 PCR.
• All students and staff with COVID-19 symptoms must provide the district with a COVID-19 PCR negative test result in order to return to school/work.
• Student-athletes will continue weekly COVID-19 testing, due to the increased risk of transmission in which increased exhalation occurs.
• Non-vaccinated employees must continue weekly COVID-19 PCR testing.
• All schools will continue to reinforce hand washing with soap and water for 20 seconds.
• If soap and water are not readily available, hand sanitizer will be utilized.
• All schools will continue to discourage the use of shared items that cannot be cleaned and disinfected.
• All schools will continue disinfecting surfaces and objects that are touched often.
• All classrooms and offices will continue to utilize their air purifier.
• All schools will continue to improve airflow, to the best extent possible in order to increase the delivery of clean air.
• All schools will continue to isolate students and/or employees with COVID-19 symptoms until they are sent home.
• Employees will continue to complete the COVID-19 screener each day.

Should a school or specific classroom (s) experience a COVID-19 outbreak, the affected classroom (s) will transition temporarily to universal masking for 10 days, from the last day of exposure.

During periods of elevated community transmission (High/Very High Risk), as per the Department of Health’s COVID-19 Activity Level Index (CALI), the District will transition to universal masking until such time the CALI level returns to moderate/low risk.