Masks or no masks -- Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday he is still leaving the decision to individual school districts, despite recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Most of our cases we are seeing right now are in the 20, 30, 40 range group right now,” says Ocean County Public Health Coordinator Dan Regenye. 

Regenye supports the decision to leave masking up to each individual district, saying risks to school-aged children remain low but that they also must be mindful of others.

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“Everybody’s circumstances are different,” says Regenye. “They have to take those circumstances into consideration and do what’s best for themselves."

Lakewood Township Public Schools Spokesperson Michael Inzelbuch says masks are coming back. Since reopening in September of 2020, classes never closed, and students remained learning in person for a full five day a week schedule. 

Brick Township Superintendent Tom Farrell has told an online publication that masks will be optional for children during the upcoming school year.

Farrell and other superintendents wrote letters back in the spring to Murphy, asking to unmask their children as temperatures increased and positive cases dropped. 

Central Regional School District, whose superintendent penned the well-publicized letter to the governor against the mask policy, remains mask-optional, but a representative says they fully expect new guidelines from the state before school starts. 

Even though health experts continue to say COVID-19 poses minimal risk to kids, the CDC released its recommendations to mask up all kids grade K through 12.

In Chatham, some parents continue to push for optional masking. A decision in Wall Township could be made by the end of this week.