TOMS RIVER – More than 1,100 public school students are out this week due to COVID-19, either through quarantine or because they tested positive for the virus, according to school district data.
The mounting infections and “close contact” occurred during a new school year that began Sept. 8 under a mask-optional policy implemented by district leaders, who have faced sometimes loud and vociferous pushback from parents opposed to Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order mandating masks in schools.