The Spotswood High School homecoming dance appears to be the source of an outbreak of COVID-19 in the school.

About 200 students had to be quarantined after last weekend’s dance. They will be out of school until Oct. 19.

Students tell News 12 New Jersey that while they were at the dance, they were told they did not have to wear a mask while eating or on the dance floor.

The New Jersey Department of Health reported 27 new outbreaks in schools across the state this week. The week before there were 30 outbreaks.

Fifty-eight percent of Spotswood’s population is vaccinated against COVID-19. When it comes to 12- to 17-year-olds, only 45% are vaccinated, even though that age group is eligible to get the shot.

Avoiding quarantine and missing out on classes is one of the reasons the vaccination has been pushed so hard onto parents by health officials.

Similar outbreaks have been taking place in elementary schools around the state and the nation. But children under 12 years old are still not eligible to get the vaccine.

The Pfizer vaccine is expected to be available for children under 12 by the end of this month. This has the potential of being a game changer. If more children get vaccinated it could potentially lead to the end of masks in schools, according to officials.