Maplewood, Other Teachers Unions Want Learning To Stay Remote – Maplewood, NJ Patch

MAPLEWOOD AND SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — More than a dozen representatives from teachers’ unions in Essex County, including South Orange-Maplewood, signed a letter last week saying that local school buildings should not reopen in September, especially with the coronavirus death toll higher in Essex than in every other New Jersey county.

As of Saturday, the county of Essex reported a toll of 1,842 deaths, making up more than 13 percent of New Jersey’s total deaths. A total of 19,300 Essex County residents have tested positive for the virus, including 45 more from Friday to Saturday.

The state has suffered more than 13,800 deaths since March, but new deaths have slowed to single digits each day after reaching a high of 460 in 24 hours on April 30.

More than half of the deaths in Essex County are in its cities, including Newark, East Orange, and Irvington. In Maplewood, the death toll is listed as 26, including a local doctor, but there have been no new deaths in more than a month. (Read about recent local numbers here.)

Local reopening plans

Locally, the South Orange-Maplewood school district said it will release its reopening plan in early August. Schools reopen on Sept. 7 and 8, depending on the grade level.

In nearby Millburn, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Christine Burton released details a week ago of that district’s plan to reopen schools on Sept. 3, taking into account coronavirus precautions. Like a few other nearby districts, they’re going with the “blended” plan that offers a shorter day for students, combined with some virtual learning, so that only half the students will be in the buildings at a time.

The state also said last week that all parents must have the option of remote learning as well, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread around the country.

While most children in the United States have not suffered severe effects from coronavirus, they can still spread it to parents, teachers, and others. A large-scale study in South Korea, quoted widely in America, has shown that teens spread it at the same rate as adults, more easily than younger children.

Gov. Phil Murphy has asked people returning to New Jersey from 31 other states to quarantine for 14 days. Coronavirus levels are increasing in many states (see the daily increases in each state here).

The teachers’ letter states, in part:

“We know that indoor activities in small spaces for long periods of time presents the highest risk
for the spread of Covid-19. Currently, the NJ Department of Health acknowledges that short
term, indoor dining is not safe. The World Health Organization now agrees that Covid-19 may
spread through the air in indoor enclosed spaces. Just this week it was reported that scientists
also believe that Covid-19 may be spread by HVAC units…”

The teachers added, “The other huge issue that makes resuming in-person instruction unsafe is compliance. Small children are not developmentally able to understand or undertake social distancing. It will be an impossible task to keep them apart. As educators, we are problem solvers and inherently optimistic. Just try to teach a lesson on Halloween and you will see optimism personified.”

They said, “This is not a challenge to be overcome, it is an impossibility. If we open buildings for in-person instruction, make no mistake, students will not maintain social distance and the results may be deadly. … The guidelines from both the NJDOE and the AAP are simply that, guidelines.”

To see the full letter, click here.

Here are recent coronavirus updates, statistics, and where to get tested in Maplewood.

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