N.J. schools reopening: These districts are planning all-virtual classes (Aug. 31, 2020 updates) – NJ.com

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In response to the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and strict safety guidelines required by the state, many school districts in New Jersey have drafted plans to reopen in September with all-remote learning instead of in-person classroom instruction.

As of this week, more than 180 school districts across the state have indicated they want to begin the 2020-2021 school year with all-remote learning, while 59 districts plan to fully reopen and the remaining districts want to start the new school year with a hybrid mix of in-person and remote learning, according to state officials.

All school reopening plans need to be reviewed and approved by the state Department of Education before they can be implemented. After weeks of waiting for guidance from the state, school districts learned on Saturday that they may now officially ask the education department to approve their all-remote reopening plans.

Districts have to submit their requests within seven days of the first day of school, “or as soon as practicable,” according to the state guidelines. The late announcement of those guidelines has some school superintendents expressing frustration, because they have been unable to get approval for their all-remote plans as the first days of school are quickly approaching.

For many school districts, the push to reopen with all-virtual instruction was prompted by lingering concerns over the coronavirus and questions over whether schools can guarantee a safe environment for students and teachers.

NJ Advance Media has been able to confirm the following districts are seeking state approval to start with all-remote classes for the 2020-2021 school year. NJ Advance Media will add to the list as more districts announce their plans. (For the very latest reopening plans, and additional details about specific schools, please contact your school district.)

ATLANTIC COUNTY

Atlantic City (remote at start of school year)
Brigantine (remote start, with re-entry on or before Nov. 11, the end of the first marking period)
Egg Harbor Township (virtual starting Sept. 8; plan to start hybrid schedule Oct. 26)
Hamilton Township (remote at start of school year)
Pleasantville (remote at start of school year)
Somers Point (Jordan Road School to go all-remote at start of the year; New York Avenue and Dawes Avenue schools reopening on hybrid schedule to start.

BERGEN COUNTY

Bergen County Technical Schools and Special Services (remote through Oct. 19)
Bergenfield (remote start, until Oct. 16)
Edgewater (remote for the month of September; district expects to re-evaluate in the middle of September)
Elmwood Park (through Oct. 19)
Fair Lawn (remote through Oct. 19)
Fort Lee (remote through Oct. 16)
Garfield (plan submitted to state Department of Education to start all-remote and transition to hybrid)
Hasbrouck Heights (remote until Oct. 5)
Hackensack (remote start, schools plan to reopen Nov. 2)
Lodi (remote start, through at least Oct. 19)
Lyndhurst (remote learning until Oct. 16; in-person instruction scheduled to begin Oct. 19)
North Arlington (remote through Oct. 16)
Palisades Park (remote through at least Oct. 13)
Ridgefield (remote through first marking period)
Rochelle Park (remote through Oct. 5)
Teaneck (remote through first marking period)
Tenafly (remote instruction for all students, district-wide)
Wallington (remote through Oct. 13)
Wyckoff (remote through Sept. 24)

BURLINGTON COUNTY

Bordentown (remote Sept. 3 through at least Oct. 9)
Burlington City (remote through at least Oct. 13)
Burlington Township (remote through first marking period)
Chesterfield (schools plan to reopen Oct. 19 with remote learning)
Eastampton (remote through first marking period)
Florence (remote through Sept 18, hybrid plan to start Sept. 21)
Lumberton (remote learning Sept. 8 to Sept. 18, hybrid learning starting Sept. 21)
Northern Burlington County Regional (students to begin 2 weeks of all-remote instruction on Sept 14, then report for in-person instruction Sept. 28 with a hybrid model)
Palmyra (remote)
Pemberton Township (remote through at least Oct. 13)
Rancocas Valley (remote Sept. 8 through Sept. 25)
Westampton (remote)
Willingboro (remote through Nov. 18)

CAMDEN COUNTY

Audubon (remote through Nov. 4)
Barrington (remote through at least Nov. 9)
Brooklawn (remote to start the school year)
Camden (remote through Jan. 31)
Clementon
Collingswood/Oaklyn (remote through mid-October)
Eastern Regional (remote start, return to school Oct. 5)
Gloucester City (through Oct. 16)
Haddon Heights (through Oct. 30)
Lindenwold
Winslow Township (through Jan. 1)

CAPE MAY COUNTY

No public school districts confirmed for planning all-virtual instruction.

CUMBERLAND COUNTY

Bridgeton (remote through Oct. 13)
Commercial Township (remote through Oct. 13)
Cumberland County Technical Education Center (remote start, plans to move to hybrid model Oct. 13)
Cumberland Regional (remote start)
Deerfield Township (remote through Oct. 13)
Downe Township (remote through Oct. 13)
Fairfield (remote through Nov. 2)
Greenwich/Stow Creek (through Oct. 13)
Hopewell Township (through Oct. 12)
Lawrence Township (through Oct. 12)
Maurice River School District (through Oct. 12)
Millville (through Oct. 13)
Upper Deerfield (fully remote through at least Oct. 12)
Vineland (remote through Oct. 13)

ESSEX COUNTY

Bloomfield (remote through September)
Caldwell-West Caldwell (remote to Oct. 7 except for a group of self-contained special education classes)
Cedar Grove (remote to start; district to reevaluate by end of September and look to go hybrid by Oct. 19)
East Orange (remote through September)
Glen Ridge (high school remote-only through Oct. 5)
Irvington (remote start)
Livingston (school year to start all remote)
Millburn-Short Hills (rrmote through first quarter of school year)
Montclair (remote start)
Newark (remote through first marking period)
Nutley (remote through first marking period)
Orange (remote learning through Nov. 25; hybrid begins Nov. 29)
South Orange-Maplewood (remote through first marking period)
Verona (most students will start with remote learning except for pre-k, kindergarten, first grade, ESL and certain other students)
West Essex (remote to Oct. 2)
West Orange (remote start)

GLOUCESTER COUNTY

Delsea Regional (remote start)
Deptford (remote through Sept. 30)
Gateway Regional (remote through at least Oct. 13)
Glassboro (starting fully remote, through Nov. 12)
Logan (remote for first marking period)
Monroe (remote through at least Nov. 16)
National Park Schools (remote through at least Oct. 13)
Pitman (remote through Oct. 5)
Washington Township (through Sept. 21)
West Deptford (all-virtual from Sept. 8 to Nov. 9)
Woodbury City (remote start, hybrid starting Nov. 9)

HUDSON COUNTY

Bayonne (remote start)
Guttenberg (remote start)
Harrison (remote through Nov. 13)
Hoboken (all virtual Sept. 14 to Sept. 19, optional in-person after that)
Hudson County Schools of Technology (remote through Sept. 28)
Jersey City (remote start)
Kearny (remote start)
North Bergen (remote through the end of September)
Union City (remote for at least the month of September)
Weehawken School District (remote to start with students moving to a hybrid schedule between Sept. 28-Oct. 14)
West New York (remote start)

HUNTERDON COUNTY

Flemington-Raritan (remote through Oct. 30)
Lebanon Township (remote start)
Readington (remote to at least Oct. 19)

MERCER COUNTY

East Windsor: (remote instruction from Sep. 9 to Nov. 9)
Ewing (remote start, return to in-person learning for those who have signed up for it: Grades K-2/SE – Sept. 9; Grades 3-5: Sept. 29; Fisher Middle School: Oct. 12; Ewing High School: Oct. 26)
Hamilton (remote through first marking period)
Lawrence Township (all students will start remote)
Mercer County Special Services (remote start)
Mercer County Technical Schools (remote through Nov. 9)
Princeton Charter School (remote start)
Princeton (remote start)
Robbinsville (students in grades 6-12 fully remote until Oct. 12. Pk-5 will remain in the hybrid or 100% remote model)
Trenton (remote start)

MIDDLESEX COUNTY

Carteret (remote until Oct. 9; plans to begin hybrid learning on Oct. 13)
Cranbury (remote through Oct. 16)
Dunellen (remote through the Thanksgiving holiday)
Edison (remote at least until Oct. 16)
Highland Park (remote until Oct. 5 for some students)
Jamesburg (remote until Nov. 1)
Metuchen (at least until Oct. 1)
Middlesex Borough (remote start)
Middlesex Regional Education Services Commission of New Jersey (remote start)
Milltown (remote in September; district to reassess for October)
Monroe (remote learning until Nov. 13 and reassess for hybrid learning to start on Nov. 16)
New Brunswick (remote during first two marking periods)
North Brunswick (remote during first marking period)
Old Bridge (remote until Oct. 12)
Perth Amboy (remote until at least Nov. 18, the end of first marking period)
Piscataway (remote until at least Nov. 13)
Sayreville (remote until at least Nov. 12)
South Amboy (remote until Nov. 13)
South Brunswick (remote start)
South Plainfield (remote start)
South River (plans for in-person instruction on Oct. 1)
Spotswood (remote until at least Sept. 18)
Woodbridge (remote until at least Oct. 12)

MONMOUTH COUNTY

Asbury Park (remote for first 30 instructional days; return to school Oct. 21)
Freehold Borough (remote start, will re-evaluate by Nov. 13)
Freehold Township (students in self-contained classes attend school in person beginning Sept. 8; first 2 weeks of school remain virtual for all other students, who return to school Sept. 21)
Freehold Regional High School District (through Oct. 19)
Long Branch (remote start)
Manalapan-Englishtown (remote at least the first two weeks of school for some schools)
Monmouth County Vocational School District (starting all-remote)
Neptune Township (remote start, will re-evaluate by the end of October)
Ocean Township (remote until Sept. 11)

MORRIS COUNTY

Boonton (remote at the start of the school year)
Butler (remote for most students; in person instruction for specific students)
Dover (remote through first marking period)
Jefferson (remote through Sep. 30)
Montville (middle and high school students to start remote)
Mount Olive (district will start in-person on alternating weekly schedule or remote for grades K-3 while grades 4-12 will be synchronous full-day remote)

OCEAN COUNTY

Lacey (remote to start, on Sept. 8, and then a hybrid model from Sept. 21)
Toms River (remote through first marking period)

PASSAIC COUNTY

Bloomingdale (remote start, with a review on Oct. 15 and a target date of Nov. 16 or sooner to reopen schools in a hybrid instructional program)
Clifton (remote to start year; district to reevaluate conditions on Oct. 1, with possible reopening for in-person instruction on Oct. 12.
Manchester Regional High School District (school year to begin remote)
Passaic (remote through September)
Paterson (remote through at least Nov. 1)
Prospect Park (remote through Nov. 11)
Ringwood (starting all-remote)
West Milford (remote until Oct. 1)

SALEM COUNTY

Woodstown-Pilesgrove Regional School District (remote to start; may go hybrid on Oct. 19)

SOMERSET COUNTY

Bedminster (all virtual starting Sept. 10, phase-in hybrid learning model set to begin Sept. 29 through mid-October, depending on the cohort or small group the child is in. All cohorting students will be phased in no later than Oct. 15.)
Bernards (remote through Oct. 1)
Bridgewater-Raritan (remote through Oct. 12)
Franklin Township (remote start)
Hillsborough (virtual until Sept. 28, with plans to start hybrid option later)
Montgomery (virtual for September, then re-evaluating plans for in-person on Oct. 12)
North Plainfield (virtual at least through the first marking period)

SUSSEX COUNTY

Newton (remote until Oct. 2)
Sparta (remote through Oct. 30; in person instruction for students with IEPs in specialized programs)

UNION COUNTY

Berkeley Heights (Governor Livingston High School will begin remote only after a single day of hybrid instruction; remote only plan will be revisited monthly)
Cranford (virtual the first four days, starting Sept. 8, then hybrid starting Sept. 14)
Elizabeth (remote start)
Hillside (remote start, will reassess three weeks before the end of the first marking period)
Linden (remote start, will reassess the end of each month)
Plainfield (remote through at least Nov. 1)
Rahway (remote start)
Roselle (remote through first marking period)
Roselle Park (remote start)
Scotch Plains-Fanwood (remote start)
Springfield (remote through Nov. 2)
Union Township (remote start, will reassess on Oct. 15 for targeted return date of Nov. 1)

WARREN COUNTY

Phillipsburg (all remote through Oct. 5)
Warren County Technical School (all remote through first marking period)

Do you know of a school district that’s planning to start remotely? Tell us about it here.

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NJ Advance Media staff writers Len Melisurgo and Casey Roland contributed to this report. Evan Slavit may be reached at eslavit@njadvancemedia.com. Nestor Sebastian may be reached at nsebastian@njadvancemedia.com.

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