The list of New Jersey school districts announcing plans to begin the school year with full-time distance learning instead of allowing students to return to the classroom due to the coronavirus pandemic is growing through the week that is passed since Govt. Phil Murphy gave educators that option.
The plans are still in need of approval by the State Department of Education, but as of Thursday morning, more than 85 school districts across the Garden State have told staff, students and parents that they are looking to set up personal classes for students to begin the year.
Many school officials have scrambled to change their original plans and keep emergency management out of training meetings, following the abrupt change by Murphy last week. He announced that districts that could provide a legitimate reason they could not reopen safely, such as an inability to build social distance or ventilation issues, could reopen with all-remote, but they should provide a plan to address these issues. to resolve and an expected date for a return to classes in person.
“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.
Officials from the State Department of Education told NJ Advance Media on Wednesday night that 150 re-submissions submitted by the state’s roughly 580 districts have been approved, although the names of the districts were not provided.
The Department of Education has not approved any remote plans only from districts that are trying to re-introduce and make the switch. The state is still deploying a system for the refunds, officials told NJ Advance Media. Some of the 150 approved plans could come from districts that still plan to submit a new proposal remotely.
For schools returning to classes in person, state guidelines state if one or two students or teachers are diagnosed with the coronavirus in a class in New Jersey, anyone he or she came close to in school could be asked for 14 days to stay at home. If two people in different classes get sick, the whole school could be shut down.
The following districts have announced that they are seeking state approval to begin distance learning classes for the 2020-2021 school year. NJ Advance Media will add to the list as more districts announce their plans.
ATLANTIC COUNTY
- Atlantic City
- Egg Harbor Township (virtual start Sept. 8; plan to begin hybrid scheme Oct. 26)
- Pleasantville
BERGEN COUNTY
- Edgewater
- Fair Lawn (through October 19)
- Garfield (vote scheduled for Tuesday)
- Hackensack (schools are scheduled to resume November 2)
- New Milford
- Teaneck (via first mark period)
BURLINGTON COUNTY
- Burlington Township
- Chesterfield (schools are scheduled to resume October 19)
- Palmyra
- Westampton
- Willingboro (through Nov. 18)
CAMDEN COUNTY
- Camden (Jan 31)
- Collingswood / Oaklyn (until mid-October)
- Eastern Region (back to school 5 Oct)
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
- Bridgeton (through October 13)
- Downe Township
- Millville
- Upper Deerfield (full distance through at least October 12)
ESSEX COUNTY
- Bloomfield
- Eastern Orange (until September)
- Irvington
- Montclair (September)
- Newark (via first mark period)
- Nutley (via first mark period)
- Orange (on graduation through Nov. 25; Hybrid begins Nov. 29)
- South Orange-Maplewood (via first mark period)
- West Orange
GLOUCESTER COUNTY
HUDSON COUNTY
- Bayonne
- Guttenberg
- Harrison
- Hudson County Schools of Technology
- Jersey City
- Kearny
- North Bergen
- Union City
- West New York
HUNTERDON COUNTY
MERCER COUNTY
- Hamilton (via first mark period)
- Lawrence Township (excluding pre-K, nursery school and students with special needs)
- Mercer County Special Services
- Princeton Charter School
- Princeton Township Public Schools
- Trenton
MIDDLESEX LAND
- Dunellen
- Edison (at least until October 16)
- Highland Park
- Middlesex Borough
- New Brunswick (first two marking periods)
- North Brunswick (first marking period)
- Old bridge (until Oct. 12)
- Perth Amboy
- Piscataway
- South Brunswick
- South Plainfield
- South River (Plans for personal on October 1)
MONMOUTH COUNTY
- Asbury Park (first 30 days; back to school Sept. 8)
- Free House Borough
- Freehold Township (first 2 weeks; return to school Sept. 21)
- Long branch
- Manalapan-Englishtown (at least the first two weeks of school for some schools)
- Neptune Township
MORRIS COUNTY
- Boonton
- Dover (via first mark period)
- Montville (middle and high school students to start remotely)
OCEAN LAND
- Lacey
- Plumsted
- Toms River (via first mark period)
PASSAIC COUNTY
- Passaic (until September)
- Paterson (until October)
SOMERSET COUNTY
- Franklin Township
- Hillsborough (virtual until Sept. 28, with plans to launch hybrid option later)
- North Plainfield (at least virtual through the first mark period)
UNION COUNTY
- Elizabeth
- Hillside
- Linden
- Plainfield (by at least Nov. 1)
- Rahway
- Roselle (via first mark period)
- Roselle Park
- Scotch Plains-Fanwood
- Springfield (through Nov. 2)
- Union Township
Do you know of a school district that starts remotely? Send us an email at [email protected].
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Evan Slavit is reachable to [email protected]. Nestor Sebastian is perhaps reachable [email protected]. Casey Roland is reachable [email protected].
