At 1:00 this afternoon Governor Phil Murphy will hold a press conference with Interim Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer. According to reports, Murphy will backtrack from DOE guidance issued in July and announce that public schools now have the option of going all-remote.
Over the last weeks, out of concerns about safety, school leaders have urged Murphy to reverse the Department of Education guidance that mandated all schools must offer some form of in-person classes. These leaders include NJEA officers, the president of the NJ Public Charter School Association, the state Principals and Supervisors Association, and an increasing number of district superintendents.
In fact, districts were starting to rebel against the mandates from Murphy and the DOE and independently announce all-remote plans. See here and here for coverage.
This change is welcome to some parents, unwelcome to others (especially those who have very young children and children with special needs). It also leaves little time for districts to —once again—revise reopening plans if, indeed, they choose to do so.
More to come on this breaking story.
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