Citing concerns about the safety of teachers and students, three New Jersey lawmakers said Wednesday they plan to introduce legislation to require school districts to keep their buildings closed and offer only remote instruction for the new school year.
The bill -- sponsored by Assembly Democrats Mila Jasey, Pamela Lampitt and Joann Downey -- goes against the plan introduced by Gov. Phil Murphy and the state Department of Education that calls for all public school districts to offer at least some in-person learning for the 2020-2021 school year.
Only special education and related services would be delivered in person, according to the proposed bill.
“The reality is the pandemic isn’t over. School is set to begin in just a few weeks, and it is not clear that a safe and comfortable environment can be maintained for students and staff,” said Jasey, D-Essex. “As a former Board of Education member and a public health nurse, I understand that New Jersey has made strong progress in combating COVID-19, but reopening schools for in-person instruction would feel like a step backward at this time.”
More than 500 school districts in New Jersey are currently preparing reopening plans that need to be presented to the state education department and local communities by early August. But some educators, including the teachers’ unions in Essex County and Paterson, have called on the state to reverse the plan and keep school buildings closed.
It is unclear how much support the proposed bill to delay the start of in-person classes will have in the state Legislature. It would need to be approved by the full Assembly and the state Senate would need pass identical legislation before it would head to Murphy for his signature.
Under the proposed bill, public schools would start the year with virtual learning at home only. Starting on Oct. 31, reopening schools for in-person classes would be evaluated on a monthly basis by Murphy, with the help of the state education and health departments based on COVID-19 infection data and other statistics.
The proposal also calls for school districts to have the option of delaying the start of the school year by two weeks so teachers could be trained in how to teach online. The bill would also allow schools to hold outdoor events so students could get to know their teachers and classmates at the start of the school year.
“In-person learning, without a doubt, produces the best educational outcome for students and we are all eager to return to the classroom. However, until we can ensure the safety of our students and school staff, we must focus our efforts on how we can enhance remote and virtual learning to provide students with the highest quality education possible,” said Lampitt, D-Camden, head of the Assembly Education Committee.
In recent days, Murphy has rejected calls to cancel the reopening of schools with in-person classes, saying it is important families with working parents have the option of sending their kids to school some days.
“We also must acknowledge that every education expert we’ve spoken to over the past few months has confirmed that in-person education is critical and that remote learning is only an acceptable substitute when absolutely necessary,” Murphy said Monday. “If done safely, I believe we must try to include at least an aspect of in-person education for our children this fall.”
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Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com.
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