The list continues to grow as more and more New Jersey schools announce plans to leave the 2020-2021 school year with instruction only at a distance instead of allowing students and faculty to return to the classroom for personal lessen.
More than 115 districts in the Garden State have now confirmed that they have submitted plans for full-time teaching to the state Department of Education. The department must approve these plans – like all other proposals – before they can be implemented.
As of Friday morning, the education department had signed 196 plans for re-schools. The names of those districts have not been released.
The shift to distance instruction plans for many public school districts was triggered by prolonged concerns about the coronavirus outbreak and questions about whether schools can guarantee a safe environment for students and teachers.
Even though the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus, hospitalizations and deaths in the whole state is now much lower than a few months ago, many teachers and school officials chose to play it safe and start the new school year virtual instruction.
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Many school districts originally planned to begin the new school year with classroom learning. But they revised their plans and held emergency meetings following an abrupt policy change by Govt. Phil Murphy last week. The governor said districts could provide a justifiable reason they could not reopen safely – such as an inability to have social distance or have problems building ventilation – might reopen with remote instructions, but they should provide a plan to solve these problems and set an expected date for a return to classes in person.
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. (For the latest opening plans, and additional details about your school, contact your school district.)
ATLANTIC COUNTY
- Egg Harbor Township (virtual start Sept. 8; plan to begin hybrid scheme Oct. 26)
- Pleasantville
- Somers Point (Jordan Road School closes at the beginning of the year; New York Avenue and Dawes Avenue schools re-open on a hybrid schedule to begin with).
BERGEN COUNTY
- Bergen County Technical Schools and Special Services (through October 19)
- Edgewater (For the month of September; district expected to re-evaluate in mid-September).
- Fair Lawn (through October 19)
- Garfield (plan submitted to State Department of Education to begin all-distance and transition to hybrid)
- Hackensack (schools are scheduled to resume November 2)
- North Arlington (through October 16)
- Ridgefield (via first mark period)
- Teaneck (via first mark period)
BURLINGTON COUNTY
- Bordentown (Sept. 3 to at least Oct. 9)
- Burlington City (by at least October 13)
- Burlington Township (via first marker period)
- Chesterfield (schools are scheduled to resume October 19)
- Eastampton (via first mark period)
- Lumberton (distance learning 8 Sept. to 18 Sept., hybrid learning beginning Sept. 21)
- Palmyra
- Pemberton Township (by at least October 13)
- Rancocas Valley (Sept. 8 to Sept. 25)
- Westampton
- Willingboro (through Nov. 18)
CAMDEN COUNTY
- Audubon (through Nov. 4)
- Camden (Jan 31)
- Collingswood / Oaklyn (until mid-October)
- Eastern Region (back to school 5 Oct)
- Haddon Heights (through October 30)
- Winslow Township (Jan. 1)
CUMBERLAND COUNTY
- Bridgeton (through October 13)
- Commercial Township (through October 13)
- Cumberland County Technical Education Center (plans to move to hybrid model Oct. 13)
- Regional of Cumberland
- Downe Township (through October 13)
- Fairfield (through Nov. 2)
- Greenwich / Stow Creek (through October 13)
- Millville (through October 13)
- Upper Deerfield (full distance through at least October 12)
- Vineland (via 13 October)
ESSEX COUNTY
- Bloomfield (through September)
- Eastern Orange (until September)
- Irvington
- Livingston (school year to start all distance)
- Millburn (first quarter of school year)
- 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
- Delsea Regional
- Deptford (through Sept. 30)
- Monroe Township (by at least Nov. 16)
- Woodbury
HUDSON COUNTY
- Bayonne
- Guttenberg
- Harrison (through Nov. 13)
- Hoboken (all virtual 14 Sep. to 19 Sept., Optional personal thereafter)
- Hudson County Schools of Technology (through Sept. 28)
- Jersey City
- Kearny
- Noord-Bergen (by the end of September)
- Union City (for at least September)
- West New York
HUNTERDON COUNTY
- Flemington-Raritan (through October 30)
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
- Carteret (distance until October 9; plans to start hybrid learning on October 13)
- Cranbury (October 16)
- Dunellen (via Thanksgiving holiday)
- Edison (at least until October 16)
- Highland Park (until October 5 for some students)
- Metuchen (at least until October 1)
- Middlesex Borough
- Milltown (distance in September; district to re-evaluate for October)
- Monroe Township (district has applied to have distance learning until Nov. 13 and re-evaluate for hybrid learning to begin on Nov. 16)
- New Brunswick (first two marking periods)
- North Brunswick (first marking period)
- Old bridge (until Oct. 12)
- Perth Amboy (until at least Nov. 18, end of first marker period)
- Piscataway (until at least Nov. 13)
- South Brunswick
- South Plainfield
- South River (plans for personal instruction on October 1)
- Woodbridge (until at least October 12)
MONMOUTH COUNTY
- Asbury Park (first 30 days; return to school Oct. 8)
- Freehold Borough (will be re-evaluated by Nov. 13)
- 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 (will be re-evaluated at the end of October)
MORRIS COUNTY
- Boonton (at a distance at the beginning of the school year)
- Dover (via first mark period)
- Montville (middle and high school students to start remotely)
OCEAN LAND
- Lacey Township (starting remotely, Sept. 8, and then a Sept. 21 hybrid model)
- Toms River (via first mark period)
PASSAIC COUNTY
- Clifton (remote to early year; district to re-evaluate conditions on Oct. 1, with possible resume for in-person instruction on Oct. 12).
- Passaic (until September)
- Paterson (by at least Nov. 1)
SALEM COUNTY
- Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District (distance to start; may hybrid go on October 19)
SOMERSET COUNTY
- Bridgewater-Raritan (virtual via October 12)
- Franklin Township
- Hillsborough (virtual until Sept. 28, with plans to launch hybrid option later)
- Montgomery (virtual for September, then evaluate plans for own reopening on October 12)
- North Plainfield (at least virtual through the first mark period)
UNION COUNTY
- Elizabeth
- Hillside (will re-evaluate three weeks before the end of the first mark period)
- Linden (will re-evaluate the end of each month)
- Plainfield (by at least Nov. 1)
- Rahway
- Roselle (via first mark period)
- Roselle Park
- Scotch Plains-Fanwood
- Springfield (through Nov. 2)
- Union Township (will re-evaluate on October 15 for scheduled return date of Nov. 1)
WARREN COUNTY
- Phillipsburg (through Oct. 5)
Do you know of a school district that starts remotely? Send us an email at [email protected].
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NJ Advance Media staff writers Brianna Kudisch, Len Melisurgo and Nestor Sebastian contributed to this report. Evan Slavit is reachable to [email protected]. Casey Roland is reachable [email protected].
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