NJ: 139 School Districts Want All-Remote Start Amid Coronavirus

NEW JERSEY – New Jersey officials confirmed that at least 139 school districts want an all-remote start of the school year. The Department of Education confirmed the information as Gov. Phil Murphy announced 399 new coronavirus cases and 11 more deaths (you can watch it here, below).

The state Department of Education will be providing applications to those districts that have determined they won't be ready to resume in-person instruction by the first day of school, which is Sept. 3, according to Mike Yaple, a spokesman for the Department of Education.

Yaple noted that the number could quickly change. The entire universe of schools – including 583 operating districts, plus 92 charter and renaissance schools and more than 140 approved private schools for students with disabilities – is still working on reopening plans, he said.

Yaple said he couldn't identify all the districts that plan to go remote, but at least 54 school districts have publicly announced that have opted for virtual instruction:

• Asbury Park
• Atlantic City
• Bayonne
• Bridgeton
• Camden
• Collingswood
• Dover
• Edison
• Elizabeth
• Fair Lawn
• Flemington-Raritan
• Freehold Borough
• Freehold Township
• Garfield
• Guttenberg
• Hackensack
• Hamilton Township (Mercer)
• Harrison
• Hillsborough
• Hillside
• Hudson County Schools of Technology
• Jersey City
• Kearny
• Lacey
• Linden
• Long Branch
• Manalapan-Englishtown
• Millburn
• Montclair
• Neptune Township
• New Brunswick
• Newark
• North Bergen
• North Brunswick
• Nutley
• Old Bridge
• Paterson
• Passaic
• Perth Amboy
• Piscataway
• Plainfield
• Princeton
• Rahway
• Roselle
• Roselle Park
• Scotch Plains-Fanwood
• South Brunswick
• South Orange-Maplewood
• Springfield (Union)
• Teaneck
• Toms River
• Union City
• West New York
• West Orange
• Willingboro

During his news conference, Murphy noted that districts aspiring to go remote must resubmit their plans for reopening, and cite health and safety reasons for the change. They also must provide a timeline for eventually moving to in-person instruction.

All plans must be reviewed by county superintendents, the Department of Health and the Department of Education.

New Jersey officials released the state's list of rules for districts to follow if they have any hope of having in-person instruction or if they want to switch to remote learning. Read more: NJ Issues Rules For In-Person Education In Schools Amid COVID-19

Murphy also addressed why he wants to reopen in-person school instruction but not gyms and indoor dining. He said that the latter two need to be done on a statewide basis since school decisions are local.

If the state only reopened dining in Bergen County but not Monmouth, Murphy said, "you and I can get in a car and drive up to Bergen County and have dinner. That's not the case with the schools."

Murphy, speaking during a recent news conference, has signaled that he'll soon be ready to finally reopen gyms and indoor dining to the public. But when? Read more: Gov. Murphy Looks To Reopen Gyms, Indoor Dining In NJ

The update comes as the number of cases rose to 188,427, and 14,097 confirmed deaths have been reported. Read more: NJ Coronavirus, School Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

Watch Murphy here:

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