N.J.’s largest school district will switch to remote learning as COVID fears rise – NJ.com

Newark, the state’s largest school district, has joined the growing list of districts switching to remote learning next week due to rising COVID-19 cases statewide.

The district, which has about 40,000 students, will move to virtual learning from Jan. 3 to Jan. 14., officials said.

“We anticipate resuming in-person instruction on Jan. 18,” district officials said in a message to parents.

Newark had previously warned parents that it was considering keeping classrooms closed and moving to online classes as COVID cases were spiking.

“COVID-19 continues to be a brutal, relentless, and ruthless virus that rears its ugly head at inopportune times,” Superintendent of Schools Roger León said in a letter to families before the winter break. “We are redoubling our efforts to be prepared for any necessary changes and a potential pivot to remote instruction.”

The list of districts that announced earlier this week that they will switch to remote classes the week of Jan. 3 includes: Elizabeth, Bayonne, Camden, Carteret, Harrison, Irvington, New Brunswick, North Bergen, Paterson, Pennsauken, South Orange-Maplewood, Union City, West New York and many more.

Some schools have announced they are moving to half day and early dismissal schedules. And some of the state’s nearly 600 public school districts have warned parents they are still weighing their options and could make an announcement this weekend.

Other school districts have sent messages to families saying they will definitely open for in-person classes Monday, with no option for remote learning for families nervous about sending their children back to the classroom.

Some school officials have said they believe in-person classes are best for students and they will only go back to virtual classes in their districts if told to make the switch by the state. They have also said closing schools is not an effective way of battling rising COVID-19 numbers if the state does not also put restrictions on stores, restaurants and public gatherings.

Gov. Phil Murphy said Friday he has no plans to close schools statewide and switch to remote learning, as he did in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. He said the decision should be left to local school and health officials.

“We are working aggressively (with the school districts),” Murphy said. “We will do everything possible to keep kids safe in schools.”

New Jersey had a new one-day record for confirmed positive tests on Friday with 28,512 cases, bringing the seven-day average for daily cases to the highest point of the pandemic – 18,122. That’s up 89% in one week and more than nine times higher than the end of November.

Murphy has repeatedly said remote instruction hurts student learning and the state should do everything it can to keep classrooms open.

Many school officials have expressed frustration with the lack of guidance from state education and health officials as they decide if and when to reopen for in-person classes.

“We have to open schools on Monday and our inboxes are full with anxious messages from parents and educators,” Robert Zywicki, superintendent of schools in Mount Olive in Morris County, said earlier this week.

“It is really disheartening that superintendents are once again left to be the lightning rods for tremendous angst that is a direct result of a lack of clear guidance and timely communication,” Zywicki said.

On Thursday, New Jersey’s map tracking COVID activity turned red in the majority of the state’s counties, signaling “very high” virus spread. The last time the statewide map, called the COVID-19 Activity Level Report, was mostly red was April 2020, at the start of the pandemic.

The move to red triggered new school health guidelines for schools in the red counties: Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Warren, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Union.

The updated guidelines for schools in counties that are red on the map include:

• Limiting participation in extracurricular activities to vaccinated students and staff.
• Conducting COVID-19 screening of all students and staff, regardless of vaccination status, twice weekly for participation in all extracurricular activities.

State officials said they are awaiting guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before deciding whether to lower quarantine recommendations for students who test positive for COVID and those exposed to classmates and teachers who test positive.

Until then, New Jersey will continue to recommend schools tell students who come in close contact with someone who tests positive to stay home for 10 days, or seven days if they get a negative test, state officials said.

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