New Jersey Assemblymen and Senators introduced in early June a bill in both chambers of the state legislature to stop school mask mandates. The bill has been sponsored by three Republican Assembly members and 11 Republican Senators. The measure (pdf) stipulates that students in elementary or secondary schools must not be required to wear a face mask while in indoor or outdoor areas of the school or on a school bus. It does not however prohibit students from wearing masks in school if they choose to. The measure applies to both public and private schools in New Jersey. The requirement to wear masks in almost all public places in New Jersey was lifted by Governor Phil Murphy in May but the mandate to wear masks for children while on school premises remained in place. Murphy justified the mandate by saying that no vaccine for COVID-19 has been available yet for …