Trenton, Nj – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy today said, as of today, virtual learning will cease at the end of the 2020-21 school year. Murphy was asked if virtual learning would be an option for students for the 2021-22 school and he said no.

“As we’re sitting here now, no,” the Governor said. “I want to be unequivocal about this. We are expecting Monday through Friday in person, every school, every district. Obviously if the world goes sideways, we have to revisit that but as of this sitting, the answer’s now.”

Currently 143 New Jersey school districts are open for all in-person classes, 534 are open with hybrid instruction and 44 districts are using a mixed in-person and hybrid schedule.

Only 890 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to classroom instruction in the state since August 1st.

“We all recognize this has been an extraordinarily stressful school year. I mentioned learning loss especially with the all-remote kids, but there’s been learning loss up and down the state and across our country, and I applaud everybody who’s associated with this school year whether they be educators, parents, kids themselves, superintendents, staff, other leadership for everything they’re doing to try to get to the right place,” he said. “I regularly make it my business over the past number of weeks calling mayors, superintendents, union leadership to thank them for what they’re doing and to encourage them further to get as safely and responsibly back in person as soon as we can.”