The head of New Jersey’s largest teachers union said in an interview published Friday that New Jersey schools don’t have enough time to put together the proper protocols to reopen safely in September.
So does that mean Governor Phil Murphy’s administration will tell schools to wait for the reopening?
Murphy did not say Friday.
“We take all constituents in this process of going back to school very seriously,” he said during his last coronavirus briefing in Trenton. “We mainly look at this through the eyes of our children. What’s right for them is to keep them healthy, keep their mental health strong, and make sure they get the public education they deserve. “
“We have presented very firm parameter principles,” added the governor. “Now it is up to the districts to get back to us and their constituents, their children, most importantly, parents, educators, administrators, and us with their plans.”
New Jersey Education Association President Marie Blistan told NorthJersey.com: “If we are looking for schools to open on the regular calendar, that is not possible.”
In addition, some districts have said that some teachers request early retirement or ask if they can work from home.
Whether schools should reopen in the fall is one of the biggest debates in the entire United States right now.
New Jersey closed schools on March 18 when the virus spread rapidly in the state and students learned remotely until the end of the last academic year.
Murphy has said his hope and expectation is that schools will reopen in September, with restrictions. His administration is asking each of the state’s 577 districts to come up with their own plans and protocols on how to reopen. At least some districts are expected to have a hybrid of face-to-face and remote learning.
But Murphy left open last week the possibility of reopens being canceled.
“If we get close and see something, not just on any given day, but in a trend that is causing enormous concern, we are not going to put people’s health at risk,” said the governor.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump has been pushing for US schools to reopen, even as numerous states face sudden increases in coronavirus cases. Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds from schools that are not fully reopened.
A Fairleigh Dickinson University poll released Thursday found that the new Jerseyans are divided. The survey found that 46% of Garden State adults say schools should reopen with protective measures, while 42% say students should continue remote learning until a COVID-19 treatment or vaccine is available. .
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New Jersey has seen its coronavirus numbers drop significantly and stabilize after months of closing orders. Meanwhile, many other states are experiencing sudden increases.
But authorities warned Friday that the Garden State’s transmission rate is again above the key benchmark of 1. That means, on average, each newly infected resident is transmitting the virus to at least one other person.
The goal is to keep the rate below 1. The state’s most recent rate is 1.1, officials said Friday.
Murphy said Friday that the state remains “largely in a waiting pattern” when it comes to lifting more restrictions, including allowing more businesses and indoor businesses to reopen.
New Jersey reported on Friday 20 more deaths attributed to COVID-19 and 202 more positive tests.
The state has now reported 15,684 deaths, 13,710 confirmed and 1,974 considered probable, with 176,551 known cases since its first case was announced on March 4.
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