By Allison Perrine
NEW JERSEY – This upcoming school year will be unlike any other in recent years as students and educators prepare to return to their classrooms during a pandemic.
At the Wednesday, Aug. 12 press conference, Gov. Phil Murphy gave the OK for schools to fully resume in-person instruction, if appropriate, for students in pre-K through grade 12 and for colleges and universities. However, students must have an option to continue remote learning if they choose to do so.
“We have held ongoing discussions with the leaders throughout our higher education system and we believe they are ready for this step,” said Murphy. “Throughout the summer we have continued to work alongside our school districts and educational communities including educators, parents and other stakeholders to ensure that come the beginning of the school year in September, plans are in place to ensure the safety of all students and staff.”
College and university students taking summer courses may resume in-person learning immediately if the institutions choose to do so. Social distancing and other restrictions are still required, however. Public and nonpublic schools will need to certify to the state department of education that they are able to meet the health and safety standards necessary. Districts that cannot will begin their school year in an all-remote fashion, Murphy said.
He acknowledged that the circumstance does not call for one-size-fits-all plans as the state is home to nearly 600 public school districts as well as nonpublic and charter schools, among other places of learning.
“When our schools open in September they must be ready to provide the high-quality education to all students that is a hallmark of New Jersey. We know the first day of school is not going to be like any other in our history and we are fully committed to getting this right,” said Murphy.
To demonstrate just how different in-person learning could be this year, Joe Manzi, director of finance, operations and development at the Lincroft-based Church of Saint Leo the Great, shared the school’s plans with The Two River Times. All students will have plexiglass dividers for their desks in pre-K through eighth grade, he said. Instead of students moving from classroom to classroom as they normally would, the teachers will be the ones moving so the students can stay in their controlled spaces, Manzi said. Surfaces will be disinfected daily.
As of Aug. 12, the statewide total of positive COVID-19 cases reached 185,938, with 14,046 total deaths and an additional 1,839 probable deaths that have not been lab-confirmed. As of Aug. 8, the daily positivity rate reached 2.09 percent which Murphy said is still “very good.” In Monmouth County specifically, that includes Atlantic Highlands, 43; Colts Neck, 103; Fair Haven, 45; Highlands, 44; Holmdel, 333; Little Silver, 48; Middletown, 919; Monmouth Beach, 30; Oceanport, 74; Red Bank, 329; Rumson, 70; Sea Bright, 13; Shrewsbury Borough, 66; and Tinton Falls, 243.
Also announced Wednesday, the U.S. Economic Development Administration launched the first phase of the New Jersey Small and Micro Business PPE Access program. According to Murphy, the $15 million program has been designed to ensure that small businesses and nonprofits in the state have access to fairly priced personal protective equipment (PPE). More information is available at covid19.nj.gov/ppe.
“Partnership is what has gotten us through the past nearly five months. It’s the partnership that we have forged with our businesses, with our communities, with our health care systems, with our essential workers – with each and every one of you,” Murphy said. “Together we are proving that there’s nothing New Jersey can’t do if we all pull together.”
The article originally appeared in the August 13 – 19, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
