What ‘all-remote learning’ will look like for N.J. kids this fall as state reveals new guidelines – NJ.com

Faced with an increasing number of parents unsure if they want to send their children back to class this fall, New Jersey education officials released new rules Friday for an all-remote learning option for those who want to continue doing their classwork at home.

The guidelines say all New Jersey public school districts must offer a distance learning plan for students who opt out of returning to class for all or part of the 2020-2021 school year because of fears about the continuing coronavirus pandemic.

“We have heard from numerous parents and families who have asked for this, and we have heard them loud and clear. Our top priority is keeping students, their families and educators safe,” Gov. Phil Murphy said at his coronavirus press briefing in Trenton.

Under the new guidelines:

–All public school students will be eligible for an all-remote learning plan, including special education students, students with disabilities and those who need special services. Families do not need to document a medical reason for keeping students at home.

–School districts must create clear procedures on how students can switch to all-remote learning at home and how they can transition back to attending in-person classes, if they wish. Schools must communicate with families in the language their families speak. Schools also need to set a minimum amount of time a student can be on an all-remote plan before they can request to return to class.

–Students must receive the “same quality and scope of instruction” at home that they would receive in the classroom. Districts must make their “best effort” to get students the technology and special services they need to complete their schoolwork.

–Students learning at home must follow the same regulations on attendance and the length of the school day.

–To help the state track who is using the all-remote option, districts must send the state data on students participating in remote learning, including their race and economic status.

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Exactly how remote learning options will be crafted will be largely left to local school districts, the guidelines say.

Murphy announced Monday that an all-remote plan would be available for the state’s 1.4 million public school students, but he wasn’t prepared at that time to announce the details. The announcement was a relief to some school district officials around the state who were unsure how to respond to families requesting to keep their kids at home when the school year began.

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The new remote learning guidelines come as at least two large teacher’s unions — the Essex County Education Association and the Paterson Education Association — have called on Murphy to call off in-person classes and let kids continue remote learning in the fall.

Murphy has said offering at least some in-person classes is important for both academic and social reasons after months of students being away from the classroom and their teachers. It is also important for families who do not have the finances or flexibility to keep their kids at home.

However, allowing school districts to also offer all-remote plans could help districts to meet the state guidelines on keeping students at least six feet apart at school, Murphy said.

“Allowing this option will help decrease the student density within our schools, and allow classroom spaces to the stretch further to ensure proper social distancing for other students and staff,” Murphy said.

Some districts have said early surveys show from 10 to 50 percent of families are considering keeping their kids home on all-remote learning plans.

The state Department of Education released its plan for reopening schools, called “The Road Back,” in June. The more than 100 pages of guidance said every public school in New Jersey must offer some in-class learning this fall, though school districts were free to step up “hybrid plans” that would alternate between students going to school and spending days or full weeks at home remote learning.

Most districts are requiring students to wear masks while at school.

But the initial state guidelines did not say what school districts should do if families refused to send students to school at all, not because of a specific health problem, but because they didn’t want to risk of exposure to the virus.

The lack of state rules left some districts without instructions on how to respond to parents asking if they could keep their kids home full time. Districts are expected to announce their reopening plans to their communities at least four weeks before the start of classes.

New Jersey closed schools in mid-March as the coronavirus pandemic began to spread across the U.S. The abrupt closure left teachers and administrators scrambling to set up remote learning programs for students who eventually learned they would be spending the rest of the school year at home.

The remote learning plans got mixed results from district to district with some families struggling to oversee lesson plans sent by teachers or monitor kids expected to attend Zoom meetings or other video conferences with their classmates.

Some students were also unable to keep up with their schoolwork because they lacked access to computers and internet access.

Many districts have promised their remote learning options will improve this fall because they have had time to better train teachers and come up with lesson plans over the summer.

Murphy and state lawmakers announced a $115 million plan last week to get more internet access and computers to students to use at home. The money will come from a mix of federal funds, donations and state coronavirus relief programs.

Parents who don’t like their public school’s remote learning plans still have the option of withdrawing their children for home-schooling with the curriculum of their choice or enrolling in private school or a charter school. They can also try tutoring, micro-schooling or other alternatives that have become more popular during the pandemic.

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

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