The largest school district in New Jersey is going ahead with plans to implement a mask mandate during the 2022-2023 school year, according to district policy.

Newark Public Schools in Essex County, New Jersey, is requiring students and educators to wear a mask on all school “locations and grounds” to combat COVID-19, according to the district policy. The school district also says educators and teachers should practice social distancing by remaining three feet away from one another, washing hands frequently and staying home if one has a fever of 100.4.

“Our deep cleaning procedures and mask protocols remain, while everything else has been relaxed,” Nancy Deering, a spokesperson for Newark Public Schools, told NJ.com.

The decision to keep the mask mandate comes from the school district’s partnership with the local health department, Deering told NJ.com. In the 2021-2022 school year, Newark Public Schools kept its mask mandate even after the state mandate ended.

New Jersey Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order Aug. 15, lifting the requirement that unvaccinated staff of school districts have to undergo routine testing. The order goes into effect Sept. 1.

Newark students return to school on Sept. 6, according to a district calendar.

Newark Public Schools did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.

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