Gov. Phil Murphy’s statement that virtual learning will not continue in September is prompting plenty of reaction from parents leery of their children retuning to classrooms due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Deanna Nye, whose three children have been receiving virtual instruction since last March, said she wants to retain that option.
“I understand kids need to be back in school, it is so important, but some kids are thriving remotely,” Nye said.
Nye said she is not ready for her children to return to classrooms, though there have been only 947 documented cases of in-school transmission of the coronavirus in New Jersey during the current school year.
Her son, who is in the 2nd grade, has multiple medical conditions placing him at a higher risk of COVID-19 complications, and she said she would worry about him possibly contracting the virus from his two siblings.
“If COVID magically disappears, maybe I would send them,” she said.
Murphy’s statement on Wednesday was a reversal of his decision last summer to allow parents to choose all-remote learning for their children during the 2020-21 school year. It came as he announced that most schools can move classroom desks three feet apart, instead of six feet, under revised social distancing guidance issued by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
He acknowledged that he is open to shifting course, depending on circumstances.
“The Governor expects all districts to provide in-person instruction in the fall,” Murphy’s spokesperson, Alyana Alfaro, said on Thursday.
“If the current rate of vaccine allocation and anticipated fall 2021 health reality stands up, we would expect that every student will be able to attend school full time in person this fall. Of course, we will always follow the best available public health guidance at the time,” Alfaro said.
Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, said Murphy’s announcement offered “clarification that was much sought after by school districts.”
Local administrators already are well into the process of planning for the next school year, he added.
“Budgets are being planned. Decisions about personnel are being made,” Bozza said.
Eliminating the virtual option would not require anyone to send their child to school, he added.
“Parents still have the option to home-school their children,” Bozza said.
The statewide teachers’ union, the New Jersey Education Association, offered support for Murphy’s decision.
“We believe that, when it is safe, in-person instruction is the best educational option for most students in most circumstances,” NJEA spokesperson Steve Baker said.
“The state has always had procedures to deal with the rare exceptions to that, even before the pandemic, and I assume those procedures will remain in place. Our focus is on making sure that all of our buildings are safe and that all of the other necessary precautions are in place so that we can safely return to in-person instruction,” Baker said.
A showdown over Murphy’s directive, though, may be looming in Somerset County’s largest school district. Supporters of keeping remote learning as an option have formed a Facebook group and submitted a written statement shared Tuesday night at the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional school board meeting.
The K-12 district is using a hybrid schedule but about half of the students are learning from home, according to Nye, who lives in the district.
“Many of us have still not resumed ‘normalcy’ (i.e. dining out) so the thought of something as ‘seemingly simple’ as feeding our children lunch in the school building is extremely concerning,” read the statement, attributed to BRRSD-Parents for Virtual Choice.
“As the COVID cases trend downward, some virtual families would like the opportunity for our children to attend school at some point next school year. We would like to see transparency with regards to the ventilation improvements. This, coupled with the current cases in our community, will allow us to make an informed decision as to when we feel safe sending our children back to the school buildings,” read the statement.
“The details that would have to be worked out to do this safely and efficiently are much more complicated than what meets the eye. As the virus evolves between now and September, it’s important to plan for all scenarios, including the need for a full virtual option this fall,” it reads.
Nationally and in New Jersey, there has been a growing push in recent weeks for schools to fully reopen.
As of Wednesday, 143 districts with about 97,000 students were open for all in-person instruction, Murphy said. In addition, 534 districts with more than 833,000 students were open for hybrid instruction. Another 44 districts with 121,600 students were a mix of in-person, hybrid, or all-remote learning, while 90 districts with 302,000 students remained all remote.
Michelle Prejean, a parent of three from Basking Ridge, said she believes parents deserve a choice. Her two younger children are on hybrid schedules, while her high school junior daughter has opted for virtual instruction.
“Other states have managed to do both. So should we,” said Prejean, who moved to New Jersey from Texas three years ago.
“I don’t want the state telling me what’s best for my kids,” Prejean said.
Bozza said there is justification for seeking a return to classrooms.
Children learning from home have less contact with their peers and teachers, he said, and that this has long been seen as a key part of education.
“There’s a great sense of pressure to be back to some sense of normalcy,” Bozza said.
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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.
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