Mask Mandate Issued For Graduation Ceremony At Maplewood's Columbia High School

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The principal of Columbia High School in the South Orange-Maplewood School District issued a letter Tuesday saying students had to mask up in school, on the bus, and at the high school graduation this Friday, due to COVID cases among students.

Maplewood Middle School will also continue a mandate through at least this Thursday, said a separate letter from the middle school principal to district parents last week.

The newest letter, issued Tuesday by Columbia High School Principal Frank Sanchez, said three students at Columbia High School had tested positive for the virus in the last 14 days, and may have exposed others at the recent prom, leading to the new mandate.

Reports in TAPInto and Village Green said that Sanchez also told the school community that students and their families must mask up at the high school graduation ceremony to be held this Friday.

A weekly case tracker for the schools notes that there were 18 cases in the district in each of the last two weeks.

On June 10, the district had announced that they would continue their mask mandate for PreK-3, whose students had not been vaccinated, through the end of the year.

Statewide Statistics, Mandates, And Vaccines

Last week, the state said there were 84 deaths statewide from COVID-19.

Earlier this month, federal officials suggested a return to masks in indoor spaces in 13 counties, but did not include Essex County.

The CDC has now approved Moderna and Pfizer vaccines for kids 6 months and older, although they are not yet available in all areas.

Essex County has moved its vaccine and testing site to Livingston. Find out more here.