Newark Public Schools Will Remain Remote Until At Least November – TAPinto.net

NEWARK, NJ — Newark Public Schools has joined the growing list of districts that will delay in-person reopening this school year since the state adjusted its guidelines, giving way to pressure from teachers’ unions, parents and educators concerned about the spread of COVID-19. 

Newark Teachers Union President John Abeigon announced Monday that instruction will remain remote for the entire first marking period, which ends in mid-November. On Sunday, the NTU called for the district to begin the 2020-2021 school year virtually, asking Superintendent Roger Leon to “hit pause” on plans to welcome students and staff back into brick and mortar school buildings. 

“Given the new guidelines, we are strongly urging Supt León to hit  ‘pause’ on a September reopening and use the month to monitor and adjust to the new guidelines,” NTU posted on its website. “Meanwhile, we will continue to advocate for your rights and make as many options available to you as possible under the Law.”

Newark Public Schools could not be reached for comment. 

As part of the adjusted reopening plan, teachers may opt to teach remotely from their empty classrooms to increase their comfort with returning and ensure new protocols, like sanitization and deliveries, are being enforced in their schools. Previously, NTU was an ardent supporter of the district’s hybrid reopening plan, departing from the stances of the New Jersey Education Association and the Essex County Education Association. 

The tides have changed in the days since New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy finally relented to public outcry against the state’s reopening measures, which mandated some in-person instruction in schools this year, citing concerns about childcare options for working parents. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was one of a legion of advocates against sending children back to school, though he sympathized with the fact that the city’s working parents need somewhere to put their children. 

An online petition from the Newark Education Workers Caucus, an advocacy group comprised of NTU and Newark community members, also put pressure on the district to change course, collecting more than 1,700 signatures. 

Abeigon told TAPinto Newark that a member survey collected Friday showed that 55% of Newark’s teachers would not return to their classrooms on Sept. 8, the original reopening date. 

“We were taking the temperature not only of the staff, but the community in Newark at large. Nationwide, over the last two weeks, morale sank to the basement, and fear and anxiety shot through the roof,” he said. “The confidence just wasn’t there.”

Similar districts, including neighboring Jersey City, Elizabeth and Paterson, all voted to pursue all-person learning options the first few months of the 2020-21 school year, citing concerns over supplying Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as well as aging school buildings. Other Essex County districts like Montclair have also delayed reopening. 

Outbreaks in states that have reopened their schools in the past few weeks have further stoked anxiety in teaching staff and parents. Photos of hallways packed with students without masks at a Georgia high school have also circulated online, raising alarm about how well school staff can really enforce Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines in a school setting. 

“I am definitely filled with less anxiety (now that reopening is delayed),” said one Newark teacher, who wished to remain anonymous to avoid retaliation. “I was constantly worried about going back to work and students not following the safety precautions because they are kids and keeping a mask on and not touching their face would have been a nightmare.”

Common infrastructure problems in schools like poor ventilation, cited by infectious disease specialists as a major concern in the spread of COVID-19, have led some education leaders to call for all-remote learning until a vaccine is developed. In Newark, roughly 40 of its 66 school buildings are listed as having compromised ventilation systems. 

The district’s comprehensive reopening plan, informed by CDC guidelines and a summer school pilot program that the district tested, listed a plethora of safety measures for reopening, including limiting classrooms to 10 students. Each student would have a plastic barrier on their desk and be required to wear a face-covering throughout the day, among other precautions. 

Abeigon said that come November, the Newark Board of Education Reopening Task Force will reconvene. He said that while it’s too early to tell what the consensus will be, he feels negative media has permeated public opinion on welcoming children back to school buildings. 

“Where was the discussion and the fear of reopening a month ago? Then we start seeing these images from schools reopening in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Texas — the nightmare that became school reopening in those states,” he said. “There was no way a Newark public school was going to let students not wear a mask.”

But for some Newark teachers, even returning in November during an escalating pandemic seems like a far cry from reality. New research suggests that children may be more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 and more likely to be asymptomatic carriers than initially suspected, and many educators worry about bringing the virus back home to immunocompromised loved ones. 

“Unless a miracle happens, I don’t see how it will work in November either,” said a University High School teacher, who also asked to remain anonymous. “We may be remote all year. I feel so bad for the children. No sports, no clubs and activities.”