N.J. lawmaker calls to end COVID testing for unvaccinated school staff as the state preps back-to-school guidelines

A New Jersey lawmaker is calling for Gov. Phil Murphy to put an end to a year-old mandate requiring school district employees to either get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or test weekly for the virus — as the governor’s administration reviews its COVID protocols for the coming school year.

State Sen. Kristin Corrado, a Republican who represents Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic Counties, sent a letter to Murphy last week, writing that “September marks a return of confusion and concern for thousands [of] school employees who are not vaccinated and have no idea what to expect regarding weekly COVID testing.”

“I have spoken with constituents who work in education, and they worry that not only will they be forced to take unnecessary and redundant weekly tests, but that they will also be stuck paying the bills,” Corrado wrote, calling the executive order signed last August “heavy-handed” and “no longer necessary.” In May, Corrado and Republican State Sen. Tony Bucco introduced legislation to remove testing requirements for unvaccinated New Jersey school personnel.

Free, at-home COVID tests are available through the state and federal government, and a number of free testing locations are open across the state.

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In a statement, a Murphy spokesperson said that “the administration is currently reviewing in-school COVID-related protocols and procedures in preparation for the coming school year.”

The New Jersey Health Department did not respond Monday to a request for comment.

Corrado’s letter comes as districts are gearing up to resume classes in the fall, after a year that saw mandatory masking, on-again-off-again virtual schooling, and other COVID protocols during surges in various virus variants. The CDC gave final approval for COVID vaccines for children ages 5 to 11 in November 2021.

According to the New Jersey Health Department’s COVID data, which are self-reported by districts, around 80% of school staff is vaccinated.

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Garden State guidelines for the 2021-22 school year required public and private school staff — including teachers, administrators, support staff, and substitute teachers — to be fully vaccinated or submit to COVID-19 testing one to two times weekly. Guidelines also required students and teachers to wear masks while indoors and on the bus through March, although some districts, including Camden, opted to keep the requirement for the rest of the year.