PERTH AMBOY — A veteran police officer died after getting COVID-19, the 28th member of New Jersey law enforcement to lose their life to the virus.
Perth Amboy police Lt. David Formeza, 46, was a lifelong resident of Perth Amboy assigned to the nightshift A Squad Patrol Bureau and a former member of the Perth Amboy SWAT team.
“Lt. Formeza, with 18 years of service, was highly regarded and loved by the Perth Amboy Police Department and community,” Mayor Helmin Caba said in a statement.
Visitation for Formeza will be Tuesday, Nov. 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at the Flynn and Son Funeral Home in Perth Amboy. His funeral is 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Stephen’s Catholic Church in Perth Amboy.
Formeza is the second off-duty Perth Amboy officer to die this year. Officer Arcadio “Archie” Rivera, 54, died after he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a parked vehicle in April.
Perth Amboy police vehicle in front of police headquarters in honor of Lt. David Formeza (Perth Amboy police)
PBA President Pat Colligan puts the number of police officers who have died from COVID-19 at 17.
The state’s new permanent memorial at the Richard J. Hughes Justice Complex in Trenton honors 28 police officers and other law enforcement professionals who have died from COVID-related complications so far.
Those recognized on the memorial are:
Latasha Andrews. Security Guard, New Jersey State Police, EOW: 4/23/2020
Luis Andujar, Corrections Officer, Cumberland Cty. Corrections, EOW: 1/22/2021
Vincent Butler, Correctional Police Officer, New Jersey Dept. of Corrections, EOW: 12/29/2020Irving Callender, Detective, Newark PD, EOW: 8/22/2020
Michael Connors, Police Officer, Newark PD, EOW: 4/30/2020
Michael Clegg, Lieutenant, Newark PD, EOW: 5/10/2020
Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practical—how will I get vaccinated?—to the scientific—how do these vaccines even work?
Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.
Red flags for someone who claims to be from New Jersey
Bethann Mercanti, president of the New Jersey State Society of Physician Assistants, says PAs are trained to be “team-based practitioners.” Photo by Scott Jones
Dhaval Patel never set out to be a physician assistant. Patel was a pharmacy major at Rutgers University and a volunteer emergency medical technician when he first encountered PAs in hospital emergency rooms.
Similarly, Danielle Francis started her career in health care as a file clerk in a South Jersey medical office. She later became a receptionist, surgical coordinator and medical assistant before becoming a certified physician assistant in 2009.
Today, Patel and Francis are among approximately 3,337 PAs practicing in New Jersey.
“Every ER in New Jersey has a PA,” says Patel, who became a PA in 2010 and now oversees operations related to PAs and nurse practitioners within the Emergency and Hospital Medicine group of RWJBarnabas Health, based in West Orange.
PAs often practice in emergency rooms, explains Patel, because their education allows them to treat a wide range of conditions. Often, PAs tend to patients with non-life-threatening conditions to free up physicians for critical-care patients. “But PAs are everywhere,” he adds.
Indeed, PAs can be found in surgery and surgical subspecialties, including orthopedics and plastic surgery, says Matthew McQuillan, a PA and program director/interim chair of the department of Physician Assistant Studies and Practice at Rutgers. “Primary care, which includes urgent care, family medicine, internal medicine and outpatient services, also has a lot of PAs,” he says.
PAs also work in pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, dermatology, addiction medicine and more. “The baseline foundation of education allows skills to be built in different specialties as you become experienced,” says McQuillan.
Although some patients prefer to be seen by doctors, Anthony J. Piccolo, a physician assistant in Verona, says PAs are “changing opinions, one patient at a time.” Photo by Scott Jones
Like physicians, PAs are educated in the medical model. “We approach patients from the same perspective,” says Bethann Mercanti, a PA and president of the New Jersey State Society of Physician Assistants, the state’s chapter of the American Academy of Physician Assistants.
However, PA education and training time is much shorter. Whereas prospective physicians attend medical school for four years, future PAs go through a two-year master’s degree-level program. “It’s an intense curriculum,” says Mercanti, adding that many of the classes are the same as classes for medical students. “It’s probably one of the most difficult master’s degrees available today.”
Even before entering a master’s program, candidates must spend 50 to 100 hours shadowing a PA before they are considered. “We make sure this is the right decision for them,” says Mercanti. Candidates also have experience working on a medical team as an EMT or registered nurse.
PAs also are required to have 2,000 hours of hands-on training before they can graduate and must pass a national certification exam. To maintain their license, PAs must complete 100 hours of continuing medical education every two years and take a recertification exam every 10 years.
The profession has expanded in scope and numbers since 1992, when New Jersey became the second to last state to license them, says McQuillan, noting that U.S. News & World Report ranked physician assistant as best all-around job in 2021. (The magazine reported a median salary of $112,260 for PAs nationwide.)
In New Jersey, PAs are regulated by the same board of medical examiners that oversees physicians, but they are not medical doctors. “[Doctors] are trained to be fully independent practitioners,” says Mercanti. “We are trained to be team-based practitioners with a great deal of autonomy.”
***
In New Jersey, PAs can perform a range of procedures, including injections, casts, joint aspirations, line insertions, lumbar punctures and gynecological exams. They can deliver babies and perform cesarean sections.
“As PAs, we help extend the reach of the doctors,” says Anthony J. Piccolo, a PA who practices with Dr. David Fost, an allergist/immunologist in Verona. (Piccolo also worked with David’s father, Dr. Arthur Fost, a longtime New Jersey Monthly Top Doctor, before his death earlier this year.)
“We work under supervising physicians,” says Piccolo, “and we essentially work under their license and scope of practice.”
The duties of each PA can also be modified by their supervising physician. “That supervision could be very direct, meaning in the room with you, but often, they are delegating to you what they are comfortable with you doing autonomously,” says McQuillan.
In some cases, that means ordering tests, providing treatment, and writing prescriptions without conferring with the supervising physician. “They can do a complete patient encounter on their own, depending on the specialty,” says McQuillan.
PAs perform some of the same functions as nurse practitioners, but the latter are trained in the nursing model. Sheena Bhatt, a PA who works in cardiac surgery and critical care at Morristown Medical Center in Morristown, says that both play an important parts in providing care.
***
The PA profession was created in response to a shortage of primary-care physicians in rural areas. Dr. Eugene A. Stead Jr., a professor at Duke University, started training former military corpsmen to fill the gap. The first class of PAs graduated Duke’s program in 1967.
McQuillan adds that today’s PAs aren’t necessarily going into specialties where there’s a doctor shortage, but they are creating more access to care. “In some cases, it is easier to get an appointment with a PA,” says McQuillan. “Having more providers in an office opens up access.”
“When any physician’s practice has grown to the point where they need help and want to service their patients better, a PA is a tremendous asset,” says Dr. John B. Catalano, an orthopedic surgeon at Premier Orthopaedics Associates of Southern New Jersey in Vineland. He and his partners have a team of five PAs who help them in the office and the operating room.
“It definitely increases the quality of care,” says Danielle K. Francis, who has worked closely with Catalano for 12 years. Their working relationship, he says, is like a well-oiled machine. “With two brains, four eyes and four hands working together, nothing falls through the cracks,” says Catalano. Their offices are across the hall from one another. Before office hours, they review their schedules together, and at lunch, they catch up on the progress of the day.
This collaborative spirit attracts many PAs to the profession. “We are a part of the health care team, and everyone’s goal is to help people and make them feel better,” says Piccolo. Job satisfaction, he says, is high among physician assistants. “A lot of it has to do with the flexibility,” says Piccolo. Unlike physicians, PAs can change specialties relatively easily. “When you are a PA, you have options,” he says. That’s why, he adds, it’s unusual for PAs to become physicians.
Essex County resident Jessica Horowitz says she and her children have had positive experiences with PAs. Horowitz, who suffered a recent brain aneurysm, found the PA at her neurosurgeon’s office particularly helpful. “I’ve seen her three times after surgery,” she says. The PA removed the staples from her head. “She took them out while we were talking,” says Horowitz. The PA also scheduled her clearance scan and was always available to answer phone calls and texts.
“If your doctors are amazing, the PA is going to reflect that,” says Horowitz. The same things you would ask a doctor, she says, you can ask a PA.
Still, some patients may prefer to be seen by physicians. Piccolo is not deterred. “You help them out and get them better and start changing opinions, one patient at a time,” he says.
Amanda Staab is a frequent contributor. She does not like the sight of blood.
If you can’t see some humor in politics, what’s the point of it all?
Yes, important stuff is being debated and voted upon, but you also have to appreciate irony and the downright silliness that comes along for the ride. It’s happening all over the state, but here are just three examples of the above in a small corner of northwest New Jersey.
It’s All A Secret
A campaign mailer arrived in my mailbox in Ledgewood, Morris County, a few days ago asking me to “Vote Column 1.”
I must have looked at both sides a dozen times and there was no mention of any candidates, office, or even the political party.
But the mailer did extol the benefits of stable taxes, economic development and investing in education. That was helpful.
Simply because I pay attention to this stuff, and also because I checked my sample ballot, I know who the candidates in Column 1 are.
But I’m not going to tell you.
The candidates apparently want to keep their candidacy a secret, so why spoil their fun?
It Helps To Check The Ballot
The race in LD-26 is not expected to be all that competitive. Republicans still hold a comfortable registration advantage in a district covering parts of Morris, Essex and Passaic counties.
But there is still a race to run.
That brings us to a group called SOMA Action, a left-leaning organization based in South Orange and Maplewood.
A recent release says the group is endorsing Democrats Christine Clark, Melissa Brown Blaeuer and Pamela Fadden for Senate and the two Assembly seats in the district.
It further states that “Sitting Republicans Joseph Pennacchio, Assemblyman Jay Webber and Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce are antithetical to SOMA Action’s mission to drive progressive change in New Jersey.”
You see the problem?
DeCroce is not running. She was beaten in the June GOP primary after Morris County Republicans refused to endorse her. It was big news at the time in political circles.
For the record, the other GOP candidate is Christian Barranco.
Knowing who’s running should be a prerequisite to making endorsements, no?
All About The Children.
There is certainly an apple pie and motherhood quality to basing a political campaign around children.
Some school board candidates know that.
So, in some quarters there are slates of school board candidates running under the slogan, “For the Kids.”
That includes Montville.
The For the Kids slate there is expressing gratitude on its Facebook page for an endorsement from one, Bernard Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner.
In a social media post of his own, Kerik says members of the slate will ensure transparency and “stop the indoctrination of all kids,”
On one hand, an endorsement from a known-figure outside the community is a good thing.
Yet, on the other hand, Kerik pleaded guilty in 2009 to a number of felonies, including tax fraud. He was eventually pardoned by President Trump.
Your chance to head to the polls is Tuesday, Nov. 2. If you have been put off by Phil Murphy’s cavalier attitude about taxes, citizenship, labor shortages that he himself created, and a host of other issues, this is your only chance to do something about it.
That something is Jack Ciattarelli. The Republican candidate is the only chance for a change.
If you listen to demagoguery from windbags about Ciattarelli being no better than Murphy or idiots calling him a coward then you’re listening to the wrong people. Ciattarelli knows how to run his own business. And he’s a CPA.
He never would have borrowed billions of dollars we didn’t need and put us on the hook for massive interest into our grandchildren’s lives. He never would have gone overboard with executive orders. He never would have allowed MVC to reopen with a backlog of transactions without a proper working plan in place to prevent people from sleeping in parking lots just to get in.
If you think Jack Ciattarelli isn’t enough of a conservative radical or an alt-right Trump apologist, you’re right. And that’s not what New Jersey will embrace. Do you really want a total off-the-rails progressive like Murphy who will push an unfettered agenda in a second term? Do yourself a favor and vote for an experienced, responsible man of character Tuesday by the name of Jack Ciattarelli.
Meanwhile, here are 9 reasons NOT to vote for Phil Murphy.
9 reasons to not vote for Phil Murphy
The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski. Any opinions expressed are Jeff Deminski’s own.
Early voting locations in each NJ county
Each county in the state will have between three and 10 early voting locations, open daily for the 2021 general election from Oct. 23 through Oct. 31. The sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. except for Sundays, when they will close at 6 p.m.
The 10 most-lobbied bills in Trenton in 2020 and 2021
The state Election Law Enforcement Commission ranked the most-lobbied bills in Trenton, according to the number of reported official contacts.
Three veteran pediatricians laid off from Hackensack Meridian Health have filed an age-discrimination lawsuit against the hospital for firing them under the guise of cost-cutting while hiring younger and less experienced physicians months earlier.
Usha Avva, 56, Nina Gold, 55, and Kathleen Reichard, 53 — all board-certified in pediatric emergency medicine — were the oldest pediatricians working in the Emergency Department at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital in Hackensack when they were fired in February. Hospital executives said they were each let go because patient volume had plummeted during the pandemic, according to the lawsuit filed in state Superior Court in Essex County Wednesday.
But Hackensack retained the five pediatric emergency room physicians it had hired in 2019 and 2020, the lawsuit said. All were under the age of 40 and none was board-certified in pediatric emergency medicine.
“This is brazen age discrimination by the largest hospital system in the state,” said Bruce McMoran whose firm McMoran, O’Connor, Bramley & Burns is representing the three fired doctors.
“Our clients were frontline healthcare heroes, they gave decades of service to this hospital, but in the end they were escorted from the property by security, unable to say goodbye to their colleagues, and told they were terminated because of a reduction in force necessitated by ‘business needs’. That is unbelievable considering the hospital had recently hired five younger PEM physicians and patient volume had already begun rising in the wake of the COVID-19 vaccine.”
The parent company of Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack Meridian Health, acknowledged the lawsuit on Friday but declined to discuss it. “It is the policy of Hackensack Meridian Health not to comment on pending litigation,” a hospital network spokeswoman said.
All three terminated doctors earned $20,000 bonuses in 2020. The hospital also renewed their contracts for three years in August, the lawsuit said.
They each were terminated on Feb. 17, based on “operational needs” and a “sham” assessment that did not take into account their years of experience, board certification and other teaching and mentoring duties, the lawsuit said.
Hackensack was required to pay them three months severance for a total of $210,000 and continue their health benefits. The hospital kept on part-time and per-diem physicians, the latter earning more per-hour than full-time doctors, the lawsuit said.
The plaintiffs also note the hospital received $98 million in pandemic relief to offset financial losses.
Hackensack Meridian Health is one of the largest hospital and health care chains in New Jersey, operating a dozen acute care hospitals.
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After recording the lowest community transmission rate in the nation just a week ago, the CDC COVID Data tracker now puts Union County back at a “substantial risk.”
Union is one of a handful of North Jersey counties that has seen infection rates start to rise. Passaic County has seen an increase of 43% over the last seven days, and has also been moved up from “moderate” to “high risk.”
New Jersey’s overall rate of transmission has been rising over the last week, now at .93. Anything below 1.0, however, means the outbreak is continuing to contract.
Much of New Jersey remains at the CDC’s highest risk tier. Nine counties are one level below. Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Morris, Somerset, and Union counties are listed as “substantial.”
Hospitalizations for COVID infections have continued to drop, even as the transmission rate rises. 682 people are hospitalized statewide, with 170 in critical or intensive care and 95 on ventilators, according to New Jersey’s COVID dashboard.
The increase in transmission rate comes as state health officials prepare to launch a vaccination campaign for children as young as 5.
The CDC is expected to grant emergency use authorization to the Pfizer COVID vaccine as early as Tuesday.
New Jersey has already ordered hundreds of thousands of child sized doses of the Pfizer drug, and state Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli says they will be ready to begin giving inoculations as early as Wednesday.
However, many parents will not be rushing out to have their kids take the jab.
A Kaiser Family Foundation Poll found only 27% of parents say they want to get their kids vaccinated right away. 33% want to wait and see.
Moderna announced they were delaying their application for approval of their COVID vaccine for kids as young as 6, after the FDA delayed a decision on use for kids between 12 and 17. There have been rare instances of heart inflammation linked to the Moderna drug in kids, and drug regulators say they want more time to study the potential side effect.
Answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions
Vaccinations for COVID-19 began being administered in the U.S. on Dec. 14, 2020. The quick rollout came a little more than a year after the virus was first identified in November 2019. The impressive speed with which vaccines were developed has also left a lot of people with a lot of questions. The questions range from the practical—how will I get vaccinated?—to the scientific—how do these vaccines even work?
Keep reading to discover answers to 25 common COVID-19 vaccine questions.
9 Dumb Things About New Jersey
Red flags for someone who claims to be from New Jersey
Three pediatric emergency room physicians at Hackensack University Medical Center, all in their 50s, have filed suit against the hospital and its parent company, Hackensack Meridian Health, claiming they were fired in February solely because of their age.
The three physicians — Usha Avva, 57, Nina Gold, 56, and Kathleen Reichard, 54 — were the emergency department’s only physicians certified by the American Boards of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine in the subspecialty of pediatric emergency medicine when they were fired, the lawsuit said.
The three Bergen County residents had been employed by Hackensack for 19, 15, and 2½ years, respectively, and helped train residents and educate students at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine.
“For Hackensack Meridian to discard them like this after 2020, after they put their lives on the line treating children and adults alike, is unconscionable,” said Michael O’Connor of McMoran, O’Connor, Bramley & Burns of Manasquan, who represents them with attorney Bruce McMoran.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in state Superior Court in Essex County.
With their departures, the remaining pediatric ER physicians had an average age of 42, the lawsuit said. Five of the doctors were younger than 40 and had been hired over the preceding 18 months, it said.
The emergency department at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital, part of Hackensack University Medical Center, sees 36,000 patients a year, according to its website. The website describes the emergency department staff as “experienced and highly trained board-certified pediatric emergency medicine physicians [and] pediatricians.”
The hospital told the doctors their employment was terminated for business reasons in February, when, according to the lawsuit, the number of emergency room visits by children was beginning to rebound after the pandemic’s peak.
School closures and the cancellation of sports and play activities during the pandemic resulted in a drop in emergency room volume, with fewer families seeking emergency care for the typical injuries of childhood. Many hospitals responded by reducing the salaries of pediatric emergency room physicians, cutting their hours or switching them from full-time to part-time status.
Hackensack did not do that, the lawsuit said. In August 2020, it renewed each of the three physicians’ contracts for three years. In September 2020, it hired two new pediatric emergency room doctors.
Although the lawsuit alleged that it would be difficult to find employment, as “very few hospitals have pediatric emergency departments,” the three each began new jobs in September, two in emergency departments and one at a clinic, according to their lawyers.
Hackensack Meridian does not comment on pending litigation, a spokeswoman said.
Lindy Washburn is a senior health care reporter for NorthJersey.com. To keep up-to-date about how changes in health care affect you and your family, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
NEW JERSEY — Below you will find the most up-to-date information on coronavirus news impacting New Jersey. You can find additional resources and coverage on our coronavirus page.
Vaccinated just as likely to spread delta variant within household as unvaccinated: study
People who have received COVID-19 vaccinations are able to spread the delta variant within their household just as easily as unvaccinated individuals, a new study published on Friday, Oct. 29, shows.
Child tax credit 2022: What we know so far
As inner-party conflict continues to shave off elements of President Joe Biden’s sweeping domestic policy package, there may be good news for parents. While it’s unclear what the ultimate bill will include, Democrats arrived at a framework Thursday, Oct. 28, that included a one-year extension of the expanded child tax credit.
Moderna says its low-dose COVID shot safe, effective for kids 6 to 11
FDA says Pfizer COVID vaccine looks effective for young kids
Federal health regulators said late Friday, Oct. 22, that kid-size doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine appear highly effective at preventing symptomatic infections in elementary school children and caused no unexpected safety issues, as the U.S. weighs beginning vaccinations in youngsters.
NJ among top vaccinated states in U.S.
New Jersey is among the top 10 states in the country with the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates at 74%. Helping to lead the charge is Paterson, which has a 90% vaccination rate.
COVID vaccine mandate for state workers, teachers begins
Many state employees returned to in-person work on Monday, Oct. 18, the same day Gov. Phil Murphy’s requirement for them to either be vaccinated against COVID-19 or submit to regular virus testing went into effect. The vaccine or test mandate also applies to teachers in New Jersey.
IRS sending October installment of child tax credit after delay in September
Families across the country are starting to receive their October child tax credit. The IRS says the program’s fourth monthly payment is already hitting Americans’ bank accounts after a technical issue last month caused delays for some recipients.
New COVID safety guidance for the holidays released by the CDC
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention released updated COVID-19 safety guidance for the holiday season on Friday, Oct. 15, including getting vaccinated, wearing a mask indoors if you’re not vaccinated and avoiding crowded and poorly ventilated spaces.
Rutgers team tries to understand ‘brain fog’ COVID connection
Dr. William Hu, the Chief of the Division of Cognitive Neurology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, is leading a team trying to figure out what brain fog is and how it’s connected to COVID-19.
FDA endorsement essentially calls for Johnson & Johnson to be 2-shot vaccine
An FDA panel unanimously recommended a Johnson and Johnson booster vaccine on Friday, Oct. 15. The terms of the endorsement essentially call for the J&J COVID-19 vaccine to be a two-dose shot, rather than the one-dose shot for which it’s been known since it first got emergency use authorization last spring.
The panel called for a second shot to be available to people 18 and older, at least two months after the first shot.
FDA panel recommends Moderna booster shot, but the process isn’t over
A panel of medical experts affiliated with the Food and Drug Administration endorsed a COVID vaccine booster from Moderna on Thursday, Oct. 14. The panel recommended a half dose as a booster.
Need to be vaccinated by Thanksgiving, Hanukkah or Christmas? Here are the deadlines
People who want to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Thanksgiving, Hanukkah or Christmas are running out of time. Two of the three vaccines available in the U.S. require two doses spread weeks apart and a waiting period once the shots have been administered.
Vice President Kamala Harris visits NJ day care, vaccination site
Vice President Kamala Harris made a stop in New Jersey on Friday, Oct. 8, to discuss the state’s latest vaccination efforts. She visited a day care center to highlight child care provisions in the president’s spending proposal as well as a vaccination site at Essex Community College.
Children will feel impact of pandemic on mental health for years: UNICEF report
UNICEF released a critical report on Friday, Oct. 8, which found that children and young people could feel the impact of the pandemic on their mental health for many years to come.
COVID vaccine for kids: Doctor answers your questions
The Pfizer vaccine for kids could be on the market in about a month after the drug maker filed for FDA authorization Thursday, Oct. 7, for their shot for kids ages 5 to 11.
However, many parents still have questions about the children’s COVID vaccine. Dr. Sallie Permar, the head of pediatrics at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, joined the PIX11 Morning News on Friday, Oct. 8, to share more information and answer some of the biggest questions.
Pfizer’s request to OK shots for kids a relief for parents
Parents tired of worrying about classroom outbreaks and sick of telling their elementary school-age children no to sleepovers and family gatherings felt a wave of relief Thursday, Oct. 7, when Pfizer asked the U.S. government to authorize its COVID-19 vaccine for youngsters ages 5 to 11.
U.S. hits 700,000 COVID deaths just as cases begin to fall
The United States reached its latest heartbreaking pandemic milestone Friday, Oct. 1, eclipsing 700,000 deaths from COVID-19 just as the surge from the delta variant is starting to slow down and give overwhelmed hospitals some relief.
NJ leaders take on ‘Mayors Vaccine Challenge’
Two New Jersey mayors are going head-to-head in an effort to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19. It’s all part of the ongoing vaccination campaign in the Garden State that has already propelled it as one of the nation’s leaders in the fight against COVID-19. Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh is squaring off with Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora in what the state is calling the “Mayors Vaccine Challenge.”
New Jersey surpasses 1 million COVID-19 cases
As of Tuesday, Sept. 28, more than 1 million cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in New Jersey since the pandemic reached the state in 2020.
Pfizer submits vaccine data on kids to FDA
Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE announced they have submitted initial data to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from the Phase 2/3 trial of their COVID-19 vaccine in children 5 to 11.
In the trial, which included 2,268 participants 5 to 11 years of age, the vaccine demonstrated a favorable safety profile and elicited robust neutralizing antibody responses using a two-dose regimen of 10 μg doses.
NJ offers $500 ‘return to work bonus’ to unemployed residents
Unemployed New Jersey residents could earn a $500 bonus to return to the workforce as part of a new program announced by Gov. Phil Murphy on Monday, Sept. 27. The “Return and Earn” initiative will offer the one-time bonus to folks who secure a job through the program, including positions that require on-the-job training.
Is it safe to trick-or-treat this Halloween? CDC weighs in
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said on Face the Nation that kids can trick-or-treat safely this year, adding, “If you’re able to be outdoors, absolutely.”
CDC director overrules panel, backs booster for all adults in high-risk jobs
The panel had voted against saying that people ages 18 to 64 can get a booster if they are health-care workers or have another job that puts them at increased risk of being exposed to the virus.
FDA OKs Pfizer COVID-19 boosters for 65 and older, high-risk Americans
The FDA authorized booster doses for Americans who are 65 and older, younger people with underlying health conditions and those in jobs that put them at high-risk for COVID-19. The ruling represents a drastically scaled back version of the Biden administration’s sweeping plan to give third doses to nearly all American adults to shore up their protection amid the spread of the highly contagious delta variant.
J&J booster shot 94% effective 2 months after 1st dose
Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday, Sept. 21, said new data shows a second dose — or a booster shot — of their one-shot COVID vaccine was found to be 94% effective against symptomatic COVID-19 when given two months after the initial dose.
Pfizer says COVID-19 vaccine works in kids ages 5 to 11
Pfizer said Monday, Sept. 20, its COVID-19 vaccine works for children ages 5 to 11 and that it will seek U.S. authorization for this age group soon — a key step toward beginning vaccinations for youngsters.
Vaccine mandate for child care facilities
Gov. Phil Murphy said all child care workers and facility employees need to be fully vaccinated by Nov. 1 or face regular weekly testing. As of Sept. 24, all employees, students and children in a facility’s care ages two and up will need to wear masks indoors, with limited exceptions.
Moderna vaccine is most effective against hospitalization from COVID-19: study
A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention compared how effective each of the three COVID-19 vaccines are in preventing hospitalization from the virus. The CDC reported that effectiveness was higher for the Moderna vaccine (93%) than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (88%) and the J&J vaccine (71%).
New Jersey surpassed as state with highest rate of COVID deaths
Mississippi has surpassed New Jersey as the state with the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S., with roughly 1 of every 320 Mississippians having succumbed to the coronavirus.
COVID-19 is ‘getting better’ at becoming airborne virus
Recent COVID-19 variants are much more adept at airborne transmission than the original version of the coronavirus, according to a new study. University of Maryland researchers analyzed the Alpha variant first identified in the United Kingdom and discovered that carriers breathe out 43 to 100 times more infectious viral aerosols than those infected with the original strain.
U.S. panel backs Pfizer COVID-19 boosters only for 65 and over, high-risk
An influential federal advisory panel overwhelmingly rejected a plan to give Pfizer COVID-19 booster shots to most Americans, but it endorsed the extra shots for those who are 65 or older or run a high risk of severe disease.
COVID outbreaks in NJ schools
As of Wednesday, Sept. 15, there were six outbreaks in New Jersey schools, according to Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli. An outbreak is defined as at least three cases that are epidemiologically connected and not from the same household.
The cases are a mix of students and staff, Persichilli said. More information will be released on the state Health Department website in the coming days.
COVID-19 variants significantly reduce protection of vaccines, prior infection: study
A new study confirms that vaccinations and even prior COVID-19 infection provide significantly less protection against newer variants. Researchers from Oregon Health & Science University say in order to protect against the Alpha, Beta, and now Delta variants, these findings stress the importance of doubling down on both vaccinations and public health measures during the pandemic.
Mask debate moves from school boards to courtrooms
The rancorous debate over whether returning students should wear masks in the classroom has moved from school boards to courtrooms. In at least 14 states, lawsuits have been filed either for or against masks in schools. In some cases, normally rule-enforcing school administrators are finding themselves fighting state leaders in the name of keeping kids safe.
Supreme Court allows evictions to resume during pandemic
The Supreme Court’s conservative majority is allowing evictions to resume across the United States, blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic. New Jersey’s statewide rent moratorium expires at the end of the year.
These foods are extra hard to find right now because of shortages, supply chain issues
Notice your grocery store shelves looking a little bare lately? You’re definitely not the only one. Supply chain issues have created shortages of highly specific ingredients.
‘It’s up to us’: Fauci says pandemic could possibly end by spring 2022
The nation’s top infectious disease expert believes the pandemic’s end is near as long as the U.S. follows the right protocols to contain COVID-19. Dr. Anthony Fauci said he sees the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s only open if the country’s 80 million to 90 million unvaccinated people are convinced to get the shot.
Comirnaty: What’s the story behind the new Pfizer vaccine name?
Comirnaty, who? It’s the same exact mRNA vaccine Pfizer has been producing through the emergency use authorization, but now it’s being marketed under a new name.
Is an earache a new COVID-19 symptom?
Doctors say they’re seeing a new COVID-19 symptom in some patients. According to experts, an earache has been reported more frequently by those testing positive for COVID. Earaches can cause pain, a feeling of blockage and sometimes muffled hearing.
NJ COVID hospitalizations top 1,000 for the first time since May: Gov. Murphy
For the first time since May, more than 1,000 people were hospitalized with COVID-19 in New Jersey on Wednesday, Aug. 25, Gov. Phil Murphy said. There were 1,012 people hospitalized with COVID, 92 of whom were on ventilators, according to state Health Department data. The last time the state had more than 1,000 COVID hospitalizations was over three months ago on May 11, Murphy said.
Johnson & Johnson: Vaccine booster provides ‘rapid, robust’ response
Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday, Aug. 25, announced new data the company said supports the use of its COVID vaccine as a booster shot for people previously vaccinated with their single-shot vaccine.
J&J said the new data showed that a booster shot of their vaccine generated a “rapid and robust increase in spike-binding antibodies, nine-fold higher than 28 days after the primary single-dose vaccination.”
NJ to require teachers, state workers be fully vaccinated
All school personnel and state workers in New Jersey will be required to get vaccinated against COVID-19, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday, Aug. 23.
Will COVID booster shot have the same side effects as the first two shots?
The Biden administration said Wednesday, Aug. 18, that COVID booster shots will soon be available, but how will the Sept. 20 rollout work, and what side effects should Americans expect?
Lambda and B.1.621: New COVID variants could be the worst yet, doctor warns
At least two new COVID-19 variants have hit the United States and they could be worse than the delta variant in their infectiousness and ability to stand up to vaccines, according to a top medical authority.
U.S. health officials call for booster shots for all to battle COVID-19
U.S. health officials recommended all Americans get COVID-19 booster shots to shore up their protection amid the surging delta variant and evidence that the vaccines’ effectiveness is falling. The announcement was made on Aug. 18.
August child tax credit payments issued: Here’s why yours might be delayed
The second installment of expanded child tax credits was issued on Aug. 13 to millions of eligible families, but some payments will likely be delayed due to a technical glitch, the U.S. Department of Treasury said.
Schumer calls for federal crackdown on fake vaccine cards
COVID claims more young victims as deaths climb yet again
The COVID-19 death toll has started soaring again as the delta variant tears through the nation’s unvaccinated population and fills up hospitals with patients, many of whom are younger than during earlier phases of the pandemic.
NJ county opens COVID booster shot appointments
Health care officials in a northern New Jersey county began offering COVID-19 booster shots to qualified residents on Aug. 14. Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. said appointments for a third shot of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine were open at vaccination centers at Kmart in West Orange and Essex County College in Newark.
Concerts, outdoor events still risky as delta variant surges, experts say
Concerts and outdoor events are returning, and many are requiring proof of vaccination as part of new safety protocols designed to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19. But while experts say being outdoors is less risky in general, they continue to recommend additional precautions for those visiting crowded outdoor venues.
Biden weighs stiffer vaccine rules as delta variant spreads rapidly across U.S.
When the pace of vaccinations in the U.S. first began to slow, President Joe Biden backed incentives like million-dollar cash lotteries if that’s what it took to get shots in arms. But as new COVID infections soar, he’s testing a tougher approach.
Who doesn’t need the COVID-19 vaccine?
It has been eight months since the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered to health care workers nationwide. Since then, the vaccine has become available to anyone over the age of 12. Experts explain the few instances in which a person would not qualify for, or should delay getting vaccinated.
Extra COVID shot OK’d for immunocompromised individuals
With more than 600 colleges and universities now requiring proof of COVID-19 inoculations, an online industry has sprung up offering fake vaccine cards.
What to do if you lose your COVID-19 vaccine card
Don’t worry if you’ve lost your COVID-19 vaccine card, there are several ways you can get it replaced. No matter where you got your shots, getting a replacement card is possible.
Will NJ reinstate a travel advisory?
Gov. Murphy said on Aug. 9, a new travel advisory is not off the table, but for now he encouraged mask wearing, which is mandatory in all airports and on flights, and other COVID safety protocols. “You gotta use your head,” he added.
Will NJ mandate masks indoors?
Despite CDC data showing New Jersey falls under its guidance to wear masks indoors, Gov. Murphy said he will not yet mandate face coverings but added, “we leave all options on the table.”
COVID transmission levels call for indoor masking under CDC guidelines
Indoor masking is advised in areas with COVID transmission rates considered “substantial” or “high” under recently updated guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of Aug. 8, all of New Jersey falls under those categories.
How do you know if you have the delta variant of COVID-19?
So you’ve tested positive for COVID – but which COVID exactly? Is there a way to tell if you have the highly transmissible delta variant? There is a way to tell, but there’s not really a way for you to tell.
COVID breakthrough cases: Is one vaccine better than others?
Are kids more vulnerable to the delta variant of COVID-19?
Hospitals around the United States, especially in the South, are starting to fill back up again as the delta variant tears though the country. With previous waves of infection, we’ve been most worried about the elderly being vulnerable. Now, it’s younger people – even children – starting to show up in hospital beds.
U.S. averaging 100,000 new COVID-19 infections a day as delta surges
The United States is now averaging 100,000 new COVID-19 infections a day, returning to a milestone last seen during the winter surge in yet another bleak reminder of how quickly the delta variant has spread through the country. The U.S. was averaging about 11,000 cases a day in late June. Now the number is 107,143.
NJ schools mask mandate: Teachers’ union backs, Republicans slam Murphy decision
New Jersey Republicans have largely trashed Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement on Aug 6 that masks will be required in all schools in the upcoming academic year.
NJ health care workers must be vaccinated or tested for COVID-19
Gov. Phil Murphy signed an executive order on Aug. 6 mandating that all workers in state and private health care facilities either be vaccinated for COVID-19 or tested for it twice a week.
50% of U.S. population is fully vaccinated, White House says
The United States reached a vaccination milestone on Aug. 6: 50% of the population, all ages, were fully vaccinated, the White House COVID-19 data director confirmed.
CDC says people who’ve had COVID should get shot or risk reinfection
Even people who have recovered from COVID-19 are urged to get vaccinated, especially as the extra-contagious delta variant surges — and a new study shows survivors who ignored that advice were more than twice as likely to get reinfected.
‘You have lost your minds’: Murphy lashes out at anti-vax protesters
Warning of more delta mutations, Fauci urges vaccinations
The White House COVID-19 response team said the delta variant continues to surge across the country. During a briefing on Aug. 5, Dr. Anthony Fauci called on Americans to take precautions to stop the virus from mutating. “The ultimate end game of all this is vaccination,” he said.
The latest surge in COVID-19 infections is fueled by the highly contagious delta variant first identified in India late last year. Now, a variation of that variant is beginning to generate headlines. Here’s what we know about the COVID sub-strain being called delta plus.
Vaccine mandate for state colleges?
Currently, some state colleges in New Jersey are mandating the COVID-19 vaccine for students and staff and some have made it optional. Murphy said a universal mandate “is certainly an option,” but for now individual universities can make their own call.
More ‘pain and suffering’ ahead as COVID cases rise, Fauci says
Dr. Anthony Fauci warned on Aug. 1 that more “pain and suffering” is on the horizon as COVID-19 cases climb again and officials plead with unvaccinated Americans to get their shots.
Walmart requiring COVID vaccination, masks for many employees
In a memo, Walmart announced that associates who work in multiple facilities, and associates of its campus office, will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by Oct. 4. Walmart also required associates, including those fully vaccinated, to wear masks in its stores.
Iconic NJ restaurant The Fireplace closes after 65 years
The Fireplace, like many other restaurants across the country, was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and temporarily shuttered its doors before reopening in May, when they implemented drive-thru, takeout and curbside pickup followed by indoor dining in October.
New delta variant research makes strong case for vaccination
A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention emphasized the delta variant is more dangerous and fast-spreading than first thought. The findings also made clear why efforts to get more people vaccinated are vital.
CDC data shows delta variant spreads as easily as chickenpox
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released new information on July 30, saying the coronavirus delta variant can spread as easily as chickenpox.
Pfizer: COVID vaccine protective for at least 6 months
The effectiveness of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine wanes slightly over time but it remains strongly protective for at least six months after the second dose, according to company data released on July 28.
Disney World requires masks indoors regardless of vaccination status
Beginning July 30, Disney World required all visitors ages 2 and older to wear a face covering while indoors as well as in Disney buses, the monorail and the Disney Skyliner, regardless of vaccination status.
CDC mask guidance: Vaccinated people should wear face coverings in public indoor settings
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reversed course on some masking guidelines, recommending that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks indoors in parts of the U.S. where the coronavirus is surging.
U.S. headed in ‘wrong direction’ on COVID-19, Fauci says
Doctors warn about slightly different symptoms with delta variant of COVID
As concern grows regarding the COVID-19 delta variant, health leaders are warning about somewhat different symptoms that come with it.
Most unvaccinated Americans unlikely to get COVID-19 shots, new AP poll finds
A new poll shows that most Americans who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 say they are unlikely to get the shots. About 16% say they probably will get the vaccine.
Is asking about someone’s COVID vaccine status a HIPAA violation?
HIPAA was signed into law by President Bill Clinton in 1996 during a time when medical records were being computerized. It was created to simplify the administration of health insurance and to prevent unauthorized access to peoples’ medical histories.
In fact, HIPAA doesn’t block anyone from asking another person about their health status, according to Alan Meisel, law professor and bioethics expert at the University of Pittsburgh.
Gov. Murphy holds off on reinstating mask mandate
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy says he’s not ready to reinstitute mask requirements, now or when schools are back in session in September. Murphy says he “is comfortable where we are” on mask mandates but is also closely monitoring developments.
Child tax credit checks: Will they become permanent?
The parents of an estimated 60 million American children began receiving child tax credit payments from the IRS in a move expected to lift millions of families above the poverty baseline for the remainder of 2021. Should they become permanent?
Biden grapples with ‘pandemic of the unvaccinated’
President Joe Biden is confronting the worrying reality of rising cases and deaths — and the limitations of his ability to combat the persistent vaccine hesitance responsible for the summer backslide.
Child tax credit: When to expect payments, how it may impact tax returns
Common cholesterol drugs may significantly reduce risk of death from COVID-19: study
Statins, a common medication for lowering cholesterol, may be saving lives among patients with COVID-19. A new study reveals hospitalized coronavirus patients who take statins are much less likely to die from the illness.
WHO chief says it was ‘premature’ to rule out COVID lab leak
The head of the World Health Organization acknowledged it was premature to rule out a potential link between the COVID-19 pandemic and a laboratory leak, and he said he is asking China to be more transparent as scientists search for the origins of the coronavirus.
Wildfire smoke linked to increased COVID-19 risk, study says
A new study suggests that exposure to wildfire smoke is linked to an increased risk of contracting COVID-19.
What can I do if I didn’t get my child tax credit payment?
The official disbursement date for the first child tax credit payments from the Internal Revenue Service was July 15, but parents may not see the cash right away.
Delta now dominant COVID variant in New Jersey
The highly transmissible delta variant is now the dominant strain in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy said on July 12. The governor urged New Jersey residents to get vaccinated against COVID if they haven’t already done so.
Global COVID-19 deaths hit 4 million amid rush to vaccinate
There’s more to the worker shortage than pandemic unemployment, experts say
The workforce shortage is a combination of several factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, a shift in the economy, and changes in the workforce demographics, experts say.
Free health insurance included in stimulus benefits for unemployment recipients
Along with $1,400 stimulus checks and monthly child tax credit payments, the American Rescue Plan has another important benefit available to people who qualified for unemployment assistance this year: free health care.
Will one dose of a two-dose COVID-19 vaccine protect me?
Yes, but not nearly as much as if you had both doses. Experts recommend getting fully vaccinated, especially with the emergence of worrisome coronavirus mutations such as the delta variant first identified in India.
Workers enjoy the upper hand as companies scramble to hire
With the economy growing rapidly as it reopens from the pandemic, many employers are increasingly desperate to hire. Yet evidence suggests that as a group, the unemployed aren’t feeling the same urgency to take jobs.
As of Sunday, there have been 1,042,293 total positive PCR tests in the state since March 2020, and there have been 25,158 lab-confirmed coronavirus deaths, according to the state Health Department.
If you’re like me you’ve noticed an abundance of roadkill on New Jersey roads this fall. It turns out there’s a gross, unsettling reason for that.
At first, I thought it was a result of it being deers’ rutting season. This is when (and there’s no better way to say this) they’re basically too horny to know better, so they run into the road without a care in the world.
Then I considered the pandemic. With fewer cars being on the road last year, the young deer got used to crossing the roads carefree.
Pascal-L-Marius
As it turns out, while those reasons aren’t off the table, the Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed that an illness called Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (or EHD, also known as bluetongue disease) is taking hold of the deer in the Garden State.
Symptoms in deer may include difficulty standing, drooling, and emitting foam from the mouth or nose. Since the disease causes a fever, sick or dead deer are often seen in or near water. Disease transmission ends when the first hard frost kills midges.
The clinical signs of disease caused by the EHD and Bluetongue viruses are identical and can only be differentiated by testing and virus isolation.
Don’t panic, this is not a threat to public health.
If you see a deer on your lawn or on the road with any of these symptoms, you are encouraged to report it to either of these contacts:
Dr. Nicole Lewis, with the Office of Fish and Wildlife Health and Forensic: (908) 735-6398 / nicole.lewis@dep.nj.gov.
Or Jodi Powers with the Bureau of Wildlife Management, (609) 223-6073 / jodi.powers@dep.nj.gov.
Gettystock / think stock
The NJDOA’s Animal Health Diagnostic Laboratory can help diagnose suspected Bluetongue cases in deer with their testing and necropsy services. They can be reached at (609) 406-6999 or jerseyvetlab@ag.state.nj.us.
Each county in the state will have between three and 10 early voting locations, open daily for the 2021 general election from Oct. 23 through Oct. 31. The sites will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. except for Sundays, when they will close at 6 p.m.
BLOOMFIELD, NJ — With three open seats on the Bloomfield Board of Education, Bloomfield voters must choose three of six candidates during this 2021 election season. Running together under the slogan “Strength and Experience” are incumbents Shane Berger and Michael Heller and challenger Satenik Margaryan; Berger is seeking a fourth nonconsecutive term and Heller is seeking a third nonconsecutive term. Running together under the slogan “For Our Kids” is the slate of challengers Monica Charris Tabares, Pedro A. Gongora and Yomara Knott.
A Bloomfield resident for 19 years, Berger is an entrepreneur who has participated in more than 200 BOE meetings and served on each of the district’s Curriculum, Personnel, and Finance/Facilities committees twice; has served on the Essex County Educational Services Commission as an executive committee member and has chaired its Finance Committee; and represents Bloomfield as the Essex County representative on the board of directors for the New Jersey School Boards Association. Berger said he believes the top issue facing the Bloomfield School District to be “safety and unfinished learning.”
“In my position as a Board of Education member, I refuse to let the COVID-19 crisis damage our students’ education and work with my colleagues and administrators to prepare for the students’ return,” Berger told The Independent Press. “We have created two new programs: free extended school year — summer school — and a free backstop program that provides at-risk students an extra meaningful hour after school.”
According to Charris Tabares, one of the main reasons she and her husband moved to Bloomfield from Jersey City was the school system and its diversity. In addition to guiding her two children through the Bloomfield school system, Charris Tabares now guides young students as Head Start Preschool director in North Hudson while also keeping an eye on the school’s finances. For Charris Tabares, the top issue in the schools today is the continuing pandemic.
“One top issue our Bloomfield schools have today is protecting our students and staff from contracting COVID,” she told The Independent Press. “As a school board member, my first priority is to work collaboratively with the superintendent and fellow school board members to maintain and, where needed, enhance the health and safety protocols in each school while still ensuring that the school budget includes funding for technology tools and resources for access to Wi-Fi from home.”
Charris Tabares added that another key issue for her is a lack of diversity on the school board; with 30 percent of Bloomfield residents being Hispanic, she feels there needs to be equal Hispanic representation on the school board.
A lifelong resident of Essex County, Gongora has lived in Bloomfield for the past 16 years, even attending Bloomfield College as an undergraduate student. Gongora is a high school math teacher and education coach at High Tech High School in Hudson County, and he has two young children, with the older one having begun kindergarten this year. Similarly his running mate, Gongora feels that having more employee diversity in the district is key.
“One of the top issues that Bloomfield schools face is to ensure that the staff and administration is as diverse as the town,” Gongora told The Independent Press. “While it is never easy to find quality employees, especially in high demand STEM subjects, the board should make more of an effort to increase the diversity of the staff and to keep the quality staff members that it currently has.”
A 23-year resident of Bloomfield, Heller is a former language technologist and current IT professional. With two daughters in the Bloomfield schools system, Heller has achieved the Certified Board Leader designation by the New Jersey School Boards Association, which represents significant training and service over a long period of time; he is currently pursuing the Green Leader and I-STEAM NJSBA certifications. He is also a labor leader as treasurer of AFT Local 1904 and the Council of New Jersey State College Locals. Heller also feels that a top issue in the district is that staff makeup does not reflect the diversity of the student population.
“The district is currently engaging a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant, which will help the district in this realm, which, from public input to the board and administration, is an important community concern. As a board member, I am ready to engage the recommendations from the consultants and the corresponding plans from the administration considering the community’s input and the sustainability of any actions to be approved,” Heller told The Independent Press, adding that a looming top issue is facilities and school capacities.
“The board and administration must revisit the district’s long-range facilities and strategic plans, revising these as necessary and providing regular updates on progress toward identified goals and plans, including those that support sustainability,” he said, stating that all 11 district schools received bronze-level certification from Sustainable Jersey Schools after he authored the original resolution for participation in February 2016.
A 16-year resident of Bloomfield, Knott works professionally in IT governance and project management. Through her two elementary school–aged children, Knott is involved in their school’s HSA, as well as in the Bloomfield Soccer Club, Jr. Bengals Cheerleading and Girl Scouts. Knott believes the top issue that needs to be addressed in the school district is communication.
“(I would) work with my peers on finding better methods to communicate with parents, manage feedback in a concise manner so there are no unanswered questions and find a consistent approach across all the schools — at least from the BOE level,” Knott told The Independent Press.
Now in her third consecutive candidacy to join the BOE, Margaryan — a 10-year Bloomfield resident with two sons at Watsessing School — is an assistant professor of criminal justice at Borough of Manhattan Community College; she has more than 20 years of teaching experience in higher education. She has served as president, co-president and is currently secretary for the Watsessing HSA, and has been active in many school events, including International Night. For Margaryan, the top issue in the Bloomfield schools is equity.
“For the three years, I have run on the idea of bringing the issues of school equity to the forefront. The district has made some important commitments to the issues of equity and diversity already, such as celebrating Juneteenth for the first time and retaining equity consultants Dr. Penelope Lattimer and Dr. Adele Macula to conduct a series of workshops in the district,” Margaryan told The Independent Press. “We need to focus further on the socioeconomic inequity that exists among our elementary schools, the effects of which are felt beyond elementary schools.
“To achieve greater equity, we need to address the lack of full-day preschool,” she continued. “Also, the district lacks uniformity in regard to meaningful after-school activities in our elementary students. Another important need is to increase the diversity of teachers and staff in the district.”
The school district budget was tight prior to the pandemic and COVID-19 response has certainly made the budget even tighter. For many voters — especially those who have suffered financial strain during the pandemic — taxes and the district budget are key issues.
Heller said that, if reelected, he will continue to work with the board and administration to follow and enact board policies, while always considering the effects these policies will have on Bloomfield citizens and taxpayers, as well as considering all community input.
“As a board member, I have been a responsible steward of a nearly $120 million budget, 65 percent of which comes directly from Bloomfield property taxes. All new expenditures proposed by the district administration require board approval, and I engage in substantive and deliberative consideration of all proposals, not simply rubber-stamping these,” Heller said. “The board and administration have operated under a changing landscape, where guidance is constantly shifting and evolving. This was true before COVID-19, too. The board and administration have worked diligently and methodically to address state and federal mandates, and specific COVID-19–era directives to keep all 6,500 students and 1,000 teachers and staff safe. To that end, the board has pressed the administration to secure all state and federal funding that is available for the district. And, when mandates are onerous and unfunded, I have advocated on behalf of the district and Bloomfield community.”
Berger said high taxes and fees affecting Bloomfield property owners is an issue close to his heart — an issue he has already done work to ameliorate.
“When I ran for my third term in 2019, bus fees for Home and Schools Associations had been raised, causing an equity issue, as each of our neighborhood schools have varying fundraising capabilities,” Berger said. “I worked with board leadership and the business office to immediately slash profligate fees, freeing up vital resources to enhance student experiences.”
Gongora wants to look more seriously at sources of funding beyond taxes.
“I would ensure that the board took advantage of all available federal and state assistance and any grant money that could be obtained to assist in keeping the budget as efficient as possible,” he said.
Margaryan also wants to look more closely at alternative funding, especially following the devastation wrought by the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
“The pandemic has certainly impacted our Bloomfield community. The impact of the pandemic has been further exacerbated by the recent Hurricane Ida,” Margaryan said. “All of a sudden, people had to find new homes, replace expensive home equipment like boilers and hot water heaters, and mitigate the consequence of flooded basements. Needless to say, Bloomfield families need help. As a responsible elected official, I will join the administration and the board in exploring available federal and state aid to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on our schools, which would allow us not to pass the burden on to the local taxpayers.”
Regarding the budget, Knott advocates for brainstorming to create new initiatives and soliciting feedback from the public.
“I believe everyone is trying to do their best, and if we come together we can find ways to help the community,” she said.
For Charris Tabares, putting forward a responsible district budget is a balancing act.
“Balancing the school budget without drastically affecting the budget is my goal as a school board member,” Charris Tabares said. “I would assist in reviewing the budget to look for ways to eliminate excess spending. As a homeowner, I am very concerned about making decisions that would cause our taxes to increase, but I am also aware that if we do not invest in our schools when the needs of our students cannot be met with the current school budget, we are providing a disservice to our future generation. My objective is to make decisions that allow for cost saving but also keeping in mind that advocating for more funding for projects that will strengthen our schools might be necessary.”
“School safety” has certainly become a buzz phrase in recent times, with continued concerns regarding weapons in schools, as well as concerns regarding student and staff well-being in terms of mental health support.
Before making any changes, Gongora advocated for a full review of existing programs and then comprehensive data collection to steer any future changes.
I would favor an in depth review of any issues that are affecting the staff and the students,” he said. “I would also advise adding to the current professional development topics issues that students are dealing with this year that are a result of a long period of isolation during lockdown. With all of these ideas, I would use a data-driven decision-making approach and conduct a regular review and assessment of what’s working and what’s not.”
For Knott, part of the board doing its due diligence in this area means looking at other school districts to identify programs that worked for them.
“(We need to) enhance existing programs that are working, as well as collaboratively — BOE members and school administration — work together to kick off innovative programs that perhaps we haven’t implemented yet,” Knott said.
Charris Tabares said she would like to see more mental health services in the Bloomfield schools.
“Increased access to mental health services in schools is vital to improving the physical and emotional state of our students. As a school board member, I would advocate for adding more resources/activities that would help positively nurture the mental well-being of our students. I would work with my fellow board members to research partnerships with town organizations that can assist in providing resources,” she said, adding that more support needs to be implemented for staff as well. “As front-line workers, our education staff have had many things thrown at them. Staff wellness activities should be implemented. As a school board member I will advocate for activities that can build resilience in our staff.”
Berger praised the school district’s preexisting programs to deal with student safety and well-being.
“We need to continue following CDC and state guidelines to ensure the safety of students and staff during this pandemic,” Berger said. “We have programs that address income and food insecurity, because it is hard for hungry students to learn. I also work with my colleagues on prescient social-emotional issues within the district at every board meeting.”
According to Heller, social-emotional learning and mental health supports are a priority for the board, which has added counselors and other professionals in the district, including a crisis counselor at the elementary schools.
“The administration has directed building-based leadership — principals and counselors — to provide a supportive environment as children have returned to district schools, including in-classroom and general assembly social-emotional learning events,” Heller said. “As needs evolve, the board and administration must be nimble and responsive to additional student mental health and well-being needs.
“Bloomfield schools were the first in New Jersey to adopt the Sandy Hook Promise and its companion, Dylan’s Wings of Change,” Heller continued. The Sandy Hook Promise trains students and adults to know the signs of gun violence and was founded by several people whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut on Dec. 14, 2012; Wings of Change, founded in honor of Sandy Hook victim Dylan Hockley, supports children with autism. “Building access protocols limit external visitors, and the administration has supported a video camera initiative that includes feeds to Bloomfield police.”
Regarding COVID-19, Margaryan said she would like to see more district transparency regarding COVID-19 infections and transmission in the schools, the implementation of a more robust screening process, and a vaccination mandate.
“When it comes to safety other than the pandemic, this question has been of great importance for me, professionally and personally. First of all, students and staff must be in a safe environment that is conducive to learning and achievement. As a criminologist, I can point out that, overall, schools are among the safest places for children. While mass violence in schools has captivated our national attention, thankfully, school shootings are extremely rare. Nonetheless, school districts have to come up with a plan to ensure the safety of students and staff. One approach to school safety that has received deserved attention from our district is the Sandy Hook Promise initiative. Bloomfield has been nationally recognized for its districtwide adaptation of the ‘Start With Hello’ Sandy Hook Promise initiative.
“This initiative emphasizes the creation of a culture change that prevents violence and other harmful acts that hurt children. It utilizes social and emotional learning, which reduces and prevents substance abuse, some mental illnesses and bullying, while increasing academic performance and graduation rates. In conjunction with Sandy Hook Promise, the district has also implemented state-mandated soft security measures, such as video cameras and panic buttons. Once on the board, I look forward to participating in the development of research-based policies focused on restorative justice in schools.”
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 2, and there are multiple ways for county residents to vote — by mail, early in-person voting, via drop box and in person on the day.
