NEW JERSEY — As the fate of schools reopening in the fall remain uncertain, parents in New Jersey will be allowed to choose all-remote learning for their children in the upcoming academic year, Gov. Phil Murphy announced Monday.
The Department of Education will be releasing guidance later this week to allow parents to choose all-remote learning for the next academic year, Murphy said.
“We want to do it responsibly, we want to respect public health, but we also want to do everything we can to recapture that magic of some semblance of in-person education that no state does like New Jersey,” he said.
The state recently unveiled guidance on how schools can reopen during the fall.
Where it can be done, overall class sizes should be limited to reach the standards of social distancing, according to Murphy.
For larger districts, the state is providing the flexibility to rearrange schedules to allow for grouping of students, or by implementing hybrid learning environments.
Districts must prepare to switch to remote learning “at any time,” Murphy said.
Proper social distancing practiced must be followed at all times. Face coverings will be required unless doing so would inhibit the individual’s health or the individual is under two years of age.
However, Murphy also acknowledged that there is “no one-size-fits-all approach” when it comes to school reopenings because there are differences which exist among schools and education communities, including geographic, demographic and economic factors.
The governor previously said he was “confident we’ll be back in school when we open up again in late August.”
Schools in New Jersey have been closed since March 18 in an attempt to reduce the spread of the virus.
