Rally to Open the Schools in Montclair Set for December 12 – TAPinto.net

MONTCLAIR, NJ – Groups of parents are planning to rally across Essex County to demand the reopening of public schools.

What started as an initiative in South Orange/Maplewood, now has expanded to Montclair. The Montclair group has announced that the rally will take place on Saturday, December 12, at 10 a.m.

According to Montclair Families Advocating for In Person Learning (FAIL), another rally is already being planned for January 4th, 2021. Montclair Schools had announced they would not open until January 25 for elementary and special education students and February 8 for all other students.

Groups are planning to gather around Montclair at Edgemont Park near Valley Road, Porter Park and on the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and North Mountain Avenue near the Montclair Art Museum.

Advocates for reopening have communicated belief that the science overwhelmingly suggests that young children are not driving transmission of COVID-19, and schools can be safe places for staff and students of all ages, even with spread in the greater community. Parent advocates for reopening have expressed the opinion that low-tech precautions that include wearing masks and face shields, limiting close contact, and opening windows for ventilation would be enough to safeguard their children.

The South Orange/Maplewood group called SOMA FOR SAFE RETURN TO SCHOOL has also started a petition and gathered 800 signatures on the petition, and their socially distanced protest will also take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, beginning outside the Administration Building at 525 Academy St. in Maplewood. The march will end in front of New Jersey State Assemblywoman Mila M. Jasey’s office at 511 Valley St.

“We seek reasonable solutions for the safe return to school of as many students as possible, while prioritizing the most vulnerable and supporting our heroic teachers,” said Kate Walker, parent of a first grader at Marshall Elementary School and co-leader of SOMA FOR SAFE RETURN TO SCHOOL. “At this late stage and with so many setbacks, our request is that the district stay the course in the face of opposition, and open to the greatest extent possible for all students – with in-person opportunities five days a week for elementary and special education students by the planned date of Jan. 19, 2021.”

While children in the SOMA and Montclair districts have not been in the classroom since March, many local public and private schools, following CDC and New Jersey state guidelines, have been running in-person programs for months without major issue, including neighboring towns of Millburn, Summit and Livingston. 

In Montclair, the district had begun to phase-in a reopening, however, after COVID-19 positive cases were identified within the district, plans to reopne were pushed back.

“For the youngest and most vulnerable children in our community — including those with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504s and those from economically insecure households — the virtual learning experience cannot effectively substitute for in person. Given what we now know, it’s clear that the district is quite simply failing these children,” continued Sullivan.

Organizers state that anyone is encouraged to participate in the protest on Saturday and bring signs, their children and masks.