Citing the need to protect the health of New Jersey’s 1.6 million public and private school students as well as thousands of educators and support staff, Gov. Phil Murphy has announced that statewide school closures will be extended through the end of the 2019-20 academic year.
Private schools with longer academic years will remain closed until at least June 30, Murphy announced in a May 4 press release.
While the prohibition of in-person instruction will be maintained through the end of the school year, public schools will continue to provide remote learning for students to allow districts to meet the state-required minimum of 180 instruction days, according to the press release.
“This is a difficult decision and I know many students, parents and staff would like to be able to return to school,” Murphy said. “However, I have been unwavering on the message that we need to make decisions based on science, not emotion.
“And while New Jersey is making great strides in mitigating the spread of COVID-19, science tells us that at this point, we can’t safely reopen our schools.”
The administration will create a steering committee to explore summer learning opportunities for all students, including school-sponsored summer programming and extended school year for students with disabilities, according to the press release.
The committee will provide recommendations to the administration as to which services need to continue to be provided remotely should the public health emergency extend past the conclusion of the 2019-20 school year.
The committee will also explore approaches for the safest and most efficient reopening of schools for the 2020-21 school year, according to the press release.
In addition, the New Jersey Department of Education will work with school officials to share ideas on safe and innovative ways to recognize 2020 high school graduates and other end-of-year milestones for students, according to the press release.
