JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ – Only 68 school districts in New Jersey are prepared to reopen next week with full in-school service for students. The majority of school districts are planning to implement a hybrid learning model and 242 will start as 100% remote learning environments. Those are the figures released today by New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
- 434 school districts are fully prepared to begin next week, or in a few cases have already opened, with a hybrid model of both in-person and remote learning;
- 68 will open to all in-person instruction;
- 242 will be all remote up until a certain specific date in each of those district’s cases; and,
- 22 will start the year with some combination of all of the above.
“We are confident that these steps we have in place will make the kind of chaotic situations we have seen in other states far less likely to happen in ours, yet we also have in place specific health guidance for what to do when a case arises in a school, or if we see a spike of cases or a cluster in a school. I think it’s fair to say that we are ready for all of the above,” Governor Murphy said today. “And remember that each and every school district is unique. Each has its own unique makeup and faces its own unique challenges. There are no, and I think can be no, one-size-fits-all measures. We have asked our educational leaders to lead, and they have so far shown themselves up to that task and beyond.”
“As we move toward reopening and ensuring this same high quality education to our students, despite current challenges, some people have said there should be a single set of rules handed down by the state: a rigid, unbending, one-size-fits-all approach,” said Department of Education Director Kevin Dehmer. “That doesn’t work in a state as diverse as New Jersey. What does work is collaboration, adaptation and flexibility. As the Governor mentioned, we’re working with school districts, charters and other schools that educate special needs students, also known as approved private schools for students with disabilities, to review their plans and make sure they meet health and safety requirements. Again, diverse set of needs among all.”
