9 of N.J.’s top 10 largest school districts are now all-remote. Here’s when they may go back. – NJ.com

Although New Jersey is solidly in the second wave of the coronavirus, the majority of the state’s school districts are still offering at least some in-person classes.

More than 550 New Jersey school districts, charter schools and schools for students with disabilities had either all in-person classes or hybrid plans that combine classroom learning and online lessons as of last week, state officials said.

But it’s a different story in the large school districts.

As of Monday, nine of New Jersey’s 10 largest public school districts are all-remote — either because they started the school year with all-virtual classes or they recently paused in-person classes after too many students and teachers got sick.

The nine districts alone represent about 13% of New Jersey’s 1.4 million public school students. They are among nearly 250 districts that are now all-remote, state officials said.

They include Newark, Jersey City, Paterson and other large urban districts, along with sprawling suburban districts like Woodbridge.

Edison is the latest large school district to make the switch. The Middlesex County township paused its hybrid learning plan and switched all students to virtual learning Monday.

The district plans to keep its schools closed until at least Jan. 4 after a spike in COVID-19 cases, local officials said.

Of the top 10 largest districts, only Toms River is currently offering in-person classes for any students who want to attend. The Ocean County district reopened Monday after announcing a switch to remote learning before Thanksgiving due to a flood of COVID-19 cases.

Toms River originally planned to reopen next week, but students came back a week early after school leaders consulted with Ocean County health officials.

“We are therefore happy to reopen earlier than planned, but do so with extreme care and caution,” said Toms River Superintendent David Healy.

Gov. Phil Murphy has said he is not planning a statewide school shutdown. Instead, he is allowing districts to make their own decisions about whether to offer in-person classes.

Here are New Jersey’s largest traditional public school districts (based on the latest enrollment data from the state Department of Education) and their current plans to return to in-person classes:

1. Newark (36,676 students)

The state’s largest school district initially planned to offer in-person classes this fall. But that plan was derailed over the summer when Newark school officials decided the district’s 66 school would stay virtual until the end of the first marking period in November.

School officials delayed the return to the classroom for the second time last month, setting a new return date of Jan. 25.

“We are in a 2nd surge of COVID-19, which is a very serious health issue in our state and across the country,” Josephine Garcia, president of the Newark Board of Education, said in a Facebook post.

2. Elizabeth (27,769 students)

Elizabeth was planning to start the school year with in-person classes, but school officials switched plans in August when 375 teachers asked for health or child care waivers to work from home.

The state opened with all-remote classes for students, though most teachers reported to their schools to teach online classes from their classrooms. In November, the Elizabeth teachers union raised concerns about the safety of requiring teachers to report to school after at least 23 of the district’s 36 schools had temporary closures for cleaning or quarantining after staff members tested positive for COVID-19.

In November, Elizabeth welcomed back students in its autism program for in-person classes. But the district switched the autism program back to virtual learning later that month and canceled plans to bring back more special education students due to a growing number of COVID-19 cases. Instructors were also told to work from home.

Elizabeth is scheduled to resume in-person classes on Feb. 5, at the earliest.

3. Jersey City (26,593 students)

Jersey City was one of the first New Jersey school districts to announce over the summer that it planned to keep its classrooms closed for the start of the school year with plans to reopen in November.

In October, Jersey City’s school board said it wanted to extend all-remote learning until at least the end of the second marking period on Feb. 5.

Jersey City officials said they saw a drop in attendance during the first marking period with only between 70% and 80% of students signing on for remote learning on an average day in some schools in low-income neighborhoods.

4. Paterson (24,588 students)

Paterson schools have kept classrooms closed since the start of the school year after scrambling to purchase enough Chromebooks to hand out to students who are learning from home.

The district announced it received a last-minute shipment of 10,000 laptops in late August after concerns it would not have enough computers for students due to a nationwide shortage.

In October, the Paterson announced it would hold off reopening classrooms until Jan. 19. But the district plans to reassess the reopening date in mid-December.

In November, Paterson announced it would offer free meals seven days a week to students whose families pick up the food at local schools.

5. Edison (16,528 students)

New Jersey’s largest suburban school district started the school year with virtual learning. Then, Edison reopened its school buildings for in-person classes on Oct. 19.

Last week, Edison said it would switch back to all-remote learning for all students starting Monday due to a “significant increase in positive COVID-19 cases district-wide,” the superintendent said. The current plan is to keep all students home until at least Jan. 4.

“However, this depends on numerous external factors related to the virus,” Edison Superintendent Bernard Bragen Jr. wrote in a letter to families last week.

6. Toms River (15,038 students)

Ocean County’s largest school district began the school year with virtual learning, then gradually opened its schools for in-person classes in October under a hybrid plan.

Just before Thanksgiving, Toms River officials announced they would switch back to remote learning after 356 students and staff members had to quarantine either because they tested positive for the virus or were exposed to someone who was sick.

The original plan was to reopen schools for hybrid classes Dec. 14. But Toms River Superintendent David Healy announced last week the district would bring back students a week early, on Monday, after consulting with health officials.

“We are therefore happy to reopen earlier than planned, but do so with extreme care and caution. Rest assured we are constantly evaluating the situation and will continue to consult with local and state health officials on the ever-changing information and data related to COVID-19 to ensure the safety of nearly 17,000 individuals who attend and work for our school district,” Healy said.

7) Woodbridge (13,761 students)

After starting the year with virtual learning, Woodbridge reopened its classrooms Oct. 12 for hybrid learning. Within a month, 63 students and staffers tested positive for COVID-19 and more than 500 were quarantining.

Superintendent Robert Zega announced in mid-November the Middlesex County district would switch all 25 of its schools to all-remote learning for at least seven weeks.

“We won’t even consider coming back until January 19. Now, if conditions continue to deteriorate, and we are unable to come back on that date, then we’ll make that decision when the time comes,” Zega said in a video posted to the school district’s website.

8) Passaic (13,590 students)

Passaic started the school year with all-remote classes and plans to re-evaluate in October whether to reopen with hybrid classes.

After looking at rising COVID-19 cases, Passaic’s board of education announced it would hold off on any in-person classes until at least Feb. 5.

9) Trenton (12,652 students)

Students in New Jersey’s capital city have been all-remote since the start of the school year. The district recently sent parents a survey asking them whether they plan to send their children back for in-person classes starting “on or around Feb. 1.”

If Trenton public schools reopen classrooms in February, the current plans calls for students to be in class two days a week and at home remote learning three days a week, the district said.

10) Union City (12,251 students)

The Hudson County district, which has 14 schools, has been virtual since the start of the school year.

The 1.3-square-mile city said it was hard hit by the virus and was unable to open for in-person classes in September due to a lack of personal protective equipment and a high number of teachers who asked for leaves of absences for health reasons.

Two local Catholic schools recently closed permanently, adding additional students to the public school enrollment.

“With many of our buildings already at capacity under normal circumstances, this development presents further challenges to creating socially distanced classrooms,” the district said in its reopening plan.

The district recently sent out a survey asking parents if their children planned to return to school for in-person classes, if and when school buildings reopen.

“No definite date has yet been established,” the survey said.

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Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com.