New Jersey school districts that submit plans to the state to switch to remote classes amid the coronavirus outbreak must have a legitimate reason and a plan to repair that obstacle by a certain date, Gov. Phil Murphy cleared Wednesday, a week after he opened the delays of the door for classes in person.
In his reversal last week in allowing schools to opt for distance learning, the governor said the Department of Education would consider those applications if schools could not meet COVID-19 safety requirements, including having obstacles or measures in place for social distance in place in classes and problems with ventilation systems.
Dozens of schools have announced plans only remotely in recent days, pending state permission. NJ Advance Media has provided live updates on those announcements from individual districts.
“A reminder to all school districts that any re-submitted plans to begin the school year with distance learning must indicate specific health and safety reasons for the … change, requiring district leaders to certify, and a timeline to achieve instruction in person,” said Murphy on Wednesday at his regular COVID-19 briefing in Trenton.
“All districts must meet the same health and safety standards we repeated last week for districts and in all guidance released in recent months,” he said. “And all plans must be reviewed by executive provincial superintendents, as well as both the Department of Education and the Department of Public Health.”
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With his decision on distance learning, Murphy emphasized that the goal is still for so many districts to reopen with personal learning as soon as possible.
Following the announcement, many school districts that initially called on students and teachers to return to physical classrooms held emergency meetings to approve the revision of their plans. At least 139 school districts had had questions with the Department of Education about making the change since Tuesday, officials said.
The school district of Newark, the largest in the state, announced Monday that it would try to reopen with full classes to begin the year.
For schools returning to classes in person, state guidelines state if one or two students as teachers in one classroom are diagnosed with the coronavirus, anyone he or she came close to at school can be asked to stay at home for 14 days. But if two people get sick in different classrooms, the whole school could be shut down.
Murphy and state lawmakers also expressed confidence Monday that at least high school sports will allow them to move forward. They emphasize that student-athletes in districts who choose to learn at a distance may play.
Officials from Pleatsville School District announced Tuesday night that a student athlete tested positive for COVID-19 after attending two weeks of on-campus practice. Those who have contact with the student are asked for self-quarantine. The district held a special meeting Tuesday night to look for a link to distance learning.
The debate over school reopening has sparked protests and rallies from both sides – teachers and staff have called on districts to stay closed, while some parents in districts who opt for remote start-ups have urged officials to consider reopening.
NJ Advance Media Staff Writer Brent Johnson contributed to this report.
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