Senate Candidate Opposes Sending Newark Kids Back To School – Newark, NJ Patch

NEWARK, NJ — Is sending children back to school in Newark and other districts across New Jersey amid the coronavirus pandemic an “acceptable risk?” According to U.S. Senate candidate Madelyn Hoffman, the answer is a hard “no.”

On Monday, Hoffman, who is running on the Green Party of New Jersey ticket in November against Sen. Cory Booker and other candidates, reached out to Patch to voice her worries about a return to classroom in Newark.

“Reopening public schools in August would be asking so much of our children and placing much of the responsibility for their own health and safety on their young shoulders – while adults will have determined that sending the children back to school now represents an acceptable risk,” Hoffman said.

Hoffman said she’s heard from multiple Newark parents who have insisted that “it’s too soon” for kids to return to brick-and-mortar classrooms.

“I know I’m not alone in thinking that it is wrong to send our children back to school until we know that as a state and as a country, we have the COVID-19 crisis under control,” Hoffman continued. “We are all well aware of the increasing numbers of cases in many states and the challenges still remaining in keeping the numbers of cases under control here in New Jersey.”

Students return for their first day of class in Newark’s public schools on Tuesday, Sept. 8. READ MORE: Returning To School In Newark (What Will It Look Like?)

On Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that New Jersey will provide a remote-learning option for schools amid the coronavirus outbreak. He said the Department of Education will provide guidance later this week for parents to allow for them to opt for all-remote learning for their children this fall.

“We want to do it responsibly,” Murphy said.

But many other questions remain for parents when it comes to reopening schools, Hoffman said.

“What if a student in your kid’s class tests positive?” she asked. “What if your kid tests positive? Does every other student and teacher they have been around quarantine? Do we all get notified who is infected and when? Or because of HIPAA regulations are parents and teachers just going to get mysterious ‘may have been in contact’ emails all year long?”

Other unanswered questions involve protection for teachers, Hoffman said. They include:

• “If a teacher tests positive for COVID-19, are they required to quarantine for 2 to 3 weeks? Is their sick leave covered, paid? If that teacher has 5 classes a day with 30 students each, do all 150 of those students need to then stay home and quarantine for 14 days?”
• “Where is the district going to find a substitute teacher who will work in a classroom full of exposed, possibly infected students for substitute pay?”
• “What is this stress going to do to our teachers? How does it affect their health and well-being? How does it affect their ability to teach?”

Murphy has issued a list of rules and guidelines for reopening schools this fall amid the coronavirus outbreak. Read more: Gov. Murphy Issues NJ School Reopening Rules Amid Coronavirus

New Jersey teachers, meanwhile, have developed what may be considered a strict set of possible ground rules for getting kids back to school in the fall. Read more: NJ Teachers Develop Possible Back-To-School Coronavirus Rules

In Newark, home to the state’s largest school system, the district has already assembled a reopening task force that offered dozens of recommendations related to school operations, teaching, remote learning, and ways to support staff members and students. And even before the state issued its guidance, Newark officials indicated that students will have to wear masks and may need to attend school in shifts or on alternating days, Chalkbeat reported.

Big hurdles remain in Newark, including limited access to technology among many families. The district will need to purchase about 10,000 additional laptops in order for every student to have one, as the state guidelines recommend.

Many families remain wary of the health risks of in-person learning. More than 80 percent of Newark parents say they’re concerned about their children returning to school, according to a recent poll of 416 Newark adults, Chalkbeat reported.

Anthony Diaz, a local community activist who ran for the Democratic Party nomination for Essex County freeholder at large in the July primary election, wrote in a social media post that the idea of sending kids back to brick-and-mortar classrooms leaves him “truly dumbfounded.”

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