These NJ School Districts Have Switched To All Remote | Woodbridge, NJ Patch – Patch.com

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey parents, are your children back to virtual learning?

You are not alone. Gov. Phil Murphy said Monday that despite the highest case numbers recorded and hospitalizations now back at April 2020 levels, he will not enforce a statewide return to virtual learning. Read more: Close NJ Schools? Murphy Says No Amid COVID-19 ‘Tsunami’

Instead, Murphy said he would leave it up to each individual school district or board of education to decide what is best. And plenty of districts are choosing to go virtual on their own. A few, such as Red Bank, even closed entirely for a few days this week, citing soaring case positives among students and teachers.

“We currently have no intention or plan to shut our schools,” Murphy said during a news conference Monday. “We have no desire to return to remote learning, which is suboptimal as we all know in terms of learning, instruction and learning loss. Certainly, individual schools and districts may make their own decisions after consulting with their own local health departments, but we will do everything we can to keep our kids in school, where we know they will have a more appropriate educational experience and where the data actually shows they can be kept in an overall reality safe.”

Patch has rounded up schools in the state that have “gone virtual” so far as 2022 begins:

Essex County:

Millburn: Millburn schools were initially going to do half days this first week back from winter break, but a high number of teacher absences made them pivot to all virtual through Jan. 7.

South Orange-Maplewood: All remote until Jan. 7.

Montclair schools are actually remaining in person, but the district is providing a temporary remote option for parents who wish to keep their children home, administrators say.

Newark: All virtual until Jan. 18.

Union County:

Westfield: Half days through Jan. 7. Morning session will be in-person. Afternoon session will consist of 1-hour of “remote instructional support.”

Cranford: All virtual through Jan. 7.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood: Half days through Jan. 7. Students only come in for the morning session. No in-person or virtual class through the afternoon.

Plainfield: Virtual until Jan. 18.

Elizabeth: Elizabeth Public Schools are fully remote for two weeks, returning January 18.

Middlesex/Mercer counties:

Woodbridge: All three of Woodbridge’s high schools are virtual through Jan. 5, due to COVID-related teacher shortages. The rest of the district so far remains in person.

New Brunswick: New Brunswick schools have among the longest virtual schedule in the state, with students all virtual for the next two weeks, through Jan. 14.

Princeton: Princeton High School is remote through Jan. 7 due to having so many teachers out with COVID. The rest of the district is still in person.

East Brunswick: All schools in the district are virtual this week due to COVID-19-related staff shortages.

Lawrence Township: All schools virtual through Jan. 7.

Hamilton: All virtual through Jan. 7.

Piscataway: All virtual through Jan. 18.

South Amboy: All virtual through Jan. 7.

South Brunswick: Another two-week all virtual schedule. Students will return for in-person class Jan. 18.

Somerset County:

Hillsborough: All virtual through Jan. 7.

Bridgewater-Raritan Regional: The first day back, Monday, was an all-virtual day and then rest of the week is half days.

Watchung Hills Regional (serving Warren, Watchung, Green Brook and Long Hill): High school is doing half days this week, but the rest of the district remains in person.

Hudson County:

Hoboken: All schools virtual through Wednesday.

Jersey City: Virtual through Jan. 7.

Secaucus: All virtual through Jan. 14.

Monmouth County:

Little Silver: Virtual through Jan. 7.

Red Bank: Closed Monday and Tuesday due to high case numbers. Red Bank Regional High School is remote through Jan. 7.

Ocean County:

Lakehurst Elementary school (not the entire district): All virtual learning this week.

Jackson school district: Fully virtual through Jan. 7. “This is due to insurmountable COVID-related staffing shortages,” said the superintendent in this letter to parents. “We apologize for the late notice but our situation has changed. On Sunday, our numbers allowed us to transport and educate our students safely. In the hours passed since our update Sunday afternoon, we have had a drastic change to the number of staff who will be out due to COVID. Based on those numbers we can not safely open our buildings or transport students to and from school this week.”

South Jersey:

Black Horse Pike Regional School District (serving Gloucester Township, Bellmawr and Runnemede): All virtual through Jan. 7.

Burlington City schools: All virtual through Jan. 14.

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