Only 1/3 of N.J. schools are fully open for in-person learning. Most are still hybrid. – NJ.com

Only about one-third of New Jersey schools are fully in-person as of this week, as Gov. Phil Murphy pushes all of the state’s schools to reopen and sharply criticized the 15 districts that have remained totally virtual.

As of May 4, 450 school districts were hybrid, 15 were remote and 298 were fully in-person — the sixth week in a row the number of in-person districts increased. Forty-eight districts have different educational formats for different schools.

The number of in-person districts increased by 52, while hybrid and remote districts decreased by 21 and 32, respectively. The number of districts using different learning methods for different schools remained the same.

Although the number of virtual districts has been steadily decreasing, four public schools, seven charter schools, and four special service schools remain totally remote.

“We know there are myriad reasons why the remaining districts have not taken this step,” Murphy said at a Wednesday press conference. “But the simple fact remains that we cannot leave 43,000 of our students out of their classrooms for an entire year. That is not fair to them, their families, their communities, or their futures.”

Murphy has repeatedly called for all districts to reopen for either hybrid or in-person learning, announcing in March that some schools could relax social distancing measures.

Districts have cited concerns about the virus’s spread as the main reason for delaying their returns to the classroom. Of the four public schools that remain remote, only one, Hillside, has a return-to-school date set for this year.

The number of students being offered each educational type does not take into account students who are voluntarily learning virtually, an option all schools must provide. When Newark, the state’s largest school district, re-opened for in-hybrid learning, just 39% of its 36,460 students returned to classrooms.

State officials have said that as of October, the most recently available data, about a quarter of students in a district with open schools were voluntarily learning virtually.

The option to learn virtually will be rescinded next year, and reserved only for students and teachers with medical concerns, Murphy said.

Some schools have remained entirely remote since last March, while other districts have changed formats as virus numbers have gone up or down.

There have been 263 outbreaks and 1,157 cases of the coronavirus linked to schools in New Jersey. For cases to qualify as an outbreak, they must be confirmed to have been transmitted in the classroom or during academic activities. All 21 counties have seen an in-school outbreak.

All New Jersey residents 16 and older are eligible for the vaccine. No vaccine has been approved for children under 16, although Pfizer is expected to receive approval for children aged 12 to 15 in the coming weeks. Studies on younger children remain ongoing.

The following 15 schools remain totally remote:

  • Pleasantville Public School District: Public
  • Englewood on the Palisades Charter School: Charter
  • Gray Charter School: Charter
  • Maria L. Varisco-Rogers Charter School: Charter
  • Jersey City Community Charter School: Charter
  • ST. JOSEPH’S SCHOOL FOR THE BLIND: Special Services
  • The Village Charter School: Charter
  • Trenton Stem-to-Civics Charter School: Charter
  • SHEPARD PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOL: Special Services
  • Passaic City School District: Public
  • Paterson Public School District: Public
  • MATHENY SCHOOL AND HOSPITAL: Special Services
  • MONTGOMERY ACADEMY: Special Services
  • Cresthaven Academy Charter School: Charter
  • Hillside Public School District: Public

Thirty-two schools switched from remote to another type of learning this week:

  • KIPP: Cooper Norcross, A New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation: Remote to Hybrid
  • Cumberland County Board of Vocational Education: Remote to Hybrid
  • Discovery Charter School: Remote to Hybrid
  • Essex Regional Educational Services Commission: Remote to Hybrid
  • Newark Educators Community Charter School: Remote to Hybrid
  • BANYAN SCHOOL: Remote to Hybrid
  • FEDCAP – 4T (TEACHING, TRAINING, TOWARDS TRANSITION): Remote to Hybrid
  • WESTBRIDGE ACADEMY: Remote to Hybrid
  • HOLLYDELL SCHOOL: Remote to Hybrid
  • Bayonne School District: Remote to Hybrid
  • Empowerment Academy Charter School: Remote to Hybrid
  • Jersey City Public Schools: Remote to Combo
  • Union City School District: Remote to Hybrid
  • A. Harry Moore: Remote to Hybrid
  • Trenton Public Schools: Remote to Hybrid
  • CHANCELLOR ACADEMY: Remote to In-Person
  • Montague Township School District: Remote to In-Person
  • Berkeley Heights School District: Remote to In-Person
  • Cranford Public School District: Remote to In-Person
  • Elizabeth Public Schools: Remote to Combo
  • Linden Public School District: Remote to In-Person
  • Mountainside School District: Remote to In-Person
  • Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District: Remote to In-Person
  • The Barack Obama Green Charter High School District: Remote to In-Person
  • The Queen City Academy Charter School District: Remote to Hybrid
  • Township of Union School District: Remote to Hybrid
  • Union County Educational Services Commission: Remote to Combo
  • Union County TEAMS Charter School-High School/College LA: Remote to Combo
  • Union County Vocational-Technical School District: Remote to Hybrid
  • Westfield Public School District: Remote to Combo
  • Winfield Township: Remote to In-Person
  • JARDINE ACADEMY: Remote to Hybrid

Thirty-seven schools switched from hybrid to fully in-person learning this week:

  • Atlantic County Vocational School District
  • Folsom Borough School District
  • Carlstadt-East Rutherford Regional High School District
  • Haworth Public School District
  • Moonachie School District
  • Tenafly Public School District
  • FORUM SCHOOL
  • HIGH POINT SCHOOL OF BERGEN COUNTY
  • INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT
  • PARADIGM THERAPEUTIC DAY SCHOOL
  • Lawnside School Distric
  • Mt. Ephraim School District
  • Middle Township Public School District
  • Glassboro School District
  • Clinton Township School District
  • Tewksbury Township School District
  • Henry Hudson Regional School District
  • Highlands Borough School District
  • Marlboro Township School District
  • Monmouth Regional High School
  • Red Bank Charter School
  • Bloomingdale School District
  • John P Holland Charter School
  • Little Falls Township Public School District
  • Passaic County Manchester Regional High School District
  • Totowa Public School District
  • Wanaque School District
  • West Milford Township Public School District
  • Andover Regional School District
  • Byram Township School District
  • Green Township School District
  • Hamburg School District
  • Sandyston-Walpack Consolidated School District
  • Stanhope School District
  • Stillwater Township School District
  • Sussex County Technical School District
  • Belvidere School District

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Katie Kausch may be reached at kkausch@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.