An increasing number of New Jersey’s largest school districts are planning to begin the upcoming academic year remotely following Gov. Phil Murphy’s announcement last week that all-virtual learning would be acceptable under certain conditions.
Newark — the state’s largest school district — said Monday that students would learn remotely for at least the first marking period. The 40,000 student district had previously been planning for as much as five days of in-person instruction.
The state’s second, third and fourth-biggest districts — Jersey City, Paterson and Elizabeth — have also pivoted to remote learning start the year.
If schools say they can’t meet one or more of the guidelines, districts can request to start start the year with all-remote learning.
Districts that are granted permission to start the year all-remote will need to show they are trying to make changes to start in-person classes at a later date. Here’s a sampling of districts that don’t plan to offer in-person instruction when schools around New Jersey open next month.
BERGEN COUNTY
Edgewater and Teaneck will start the year fully remote. Teaneck will be remote for the first marking period with plans to re-evaluate in October.
CAMDEN COUNTY
Students in the city of Camden will learn virtually from the start of the school year Sept. 8 until at least Jan. 31, the district said last week.
“During this remote period, we will continue to assess and monitor the needs and feedback of our families and staff at which time we will make a determination in early January whether the district will be ready to adequately offer in-person instruction,” Camden school officials said in a statement.
ESSEX COUNTY
Nutley schools plan to ask the state to approve 100% virtual learning for the first marking period of the year.
“We are still challenged in several areas under the requirements for general health and safety, particularly ventilation, and those that ensure the delivery of general and special education and related services to students with disabilities,” the district said in a letter to parents Monday.
The district wants to provide emergency child care for kindergarten-6th grade students when school opens Sept. 8.
HUDSON COUNTY
Bayonne was Hudson County’s first district to plan for fully remote learning, with the Board of Education approving a fully distant start to the semester late last month. Earlier this month, the Jersey City Board of Education voted for a similar plan. Jersey City is the state’s second-largest district.
Union City, Guttenberg, North Bergen, West New York, Harrison and Kearny announced new plans for all-virtual learning in September. The Hudson County Schools of Technology will also begin the school year with remote learning.
Hamilton Township school district will instruct students remotely to begin the year before transitioning to a hybrid plan Oct. 12, according to TapInto.net. An official announcement is expected Monday.
MIDDLESEX COUNTY
Highland Park and neighboring New Brunswick will start the year virtually.
“We will slowly but surely transition students into an in-person instructional program over the course of the next several months,” Highland Park Superintendent Dr. Scott Taylor said in a YouTube video released Monday.
OCEAN COUNTY
Toms River students will start Sept. 8 with remote instruction. Under the previous hybrid plan, students would have attended school up to four days, a week according to APP.com.
PASSAIC COUNTY
Paterson, the state’s third-largest district, and Passaic are planning to start the school year remotely. Paterson school will remain closed through October, with Passaic schools learning virtually through at least September.
UNION COUNTY
Two days before Murphy said an all-remote plan would be OK, Elizabeth’s school board voted to begin the 2020-2021 school year that way so its school buildings can remain closed due to the teacher shortage.
“As of Monday, 375 teachers have notified the district that they cannot report to work inside a school building in September due to health related issues. There would be insufficient staff to open safely in person with that many teachers unavailable for in-person instruction,” a spokesman said.
Parents in the Scotch Plains-Fanwood district were blindsided with an email late Friday night informing them that the previous hybrid plan of two days per week of in-person instruction had been tossed in favor of an all-remote plan to start the year. The start of the school year has also been pushed to Sept. 14. Some parents are planning a “Rally to Open Scotch Plains-Fanwood Schools” at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Park Middle School.
Do you know of a school district that’s starting remotely? Send us an email at [email protected].
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