Rally To Reopen Maplewood Schools To Be Held Saturday

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Will the South Orange-Maplewood schools reopen on Jan. 19 after being remote all year, or will that date be pushed back again as it was in November? A new parents group called SOMA For Safe Return To School will hold a socially distanced, masked protest Saturday at 10 a.m. to push the schools to reopen on the promised date, and to provide week-long education when they do.

“I have a kindergartener, second grader and a fifth grader with an IEP," said Kevin Hartzell of South Orange last week. "The time that our children are losing, in terms of academic and, more importantly, social development, is time that they will never get back."

More than 1,000 parents have already signed a petition. The protest will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 12, beginning outside the Administration Building at 525 Academy St. in Maplewood. The march will end in front of New Jersey State Assemblywoman Mila M. Jasey’s office at 511 Valley St.

The group has asked attendees to wear masks.

The schools have been remote all year. They were expected to reopen in November, but the date was pushed to January when problems with ventilation were exposed.

“We seek reasonable solutions for the safe return to school of as many students as possible, while prioritizing the most vulnerable and supporting our heroic teachers,” said Kate Walker, parent of a first grader at Marshall Elementary School and co-leader of the new group. “At this late stage and with so many setbacks, our request is that the district stay the course in the face of opposition, and open to the greatest extent possible for all students – with in-person opportunities five days a week for elementary and special education students by the planned date of Jan. 19.”

But why do they think there may be a delay?

An organizer said that they are especially concerned because steps toward reopening seems to be coming slowly.

Another parent said, "We have been told twice now that schools would open, only to have that reversed. But we also want the district to expand the hybrid option, given that kids have already lost so much time and we know so much more than we did in the summer."

The group suggested in its press release that the schools use "simple, low-tech precautions that include wearing masks and face shields, limiting close contact, and opening windows for ventilation."

They noted that "many local public and private schools, following CDC and New Jersey state guidelines, have been running in-person programs for months without major issue, including neighboring towns of Millburn, Summit and Livingston."

Nearby districts

Those districts are not really without major issues, however. Millburn students were remote until October (for younger students) and November (for older students), and will go remote again for two weeks in January. Summit has one elementary school remote now, just decided Summit High School must be remote from this Wednesday into winter break, and all Summit schools will be remote for two weeks in January. Livingston schools will also go remote for two weeks in January.

The SOMA group noted, "Additionally, the South Mountain YMCA has been operating safely with students in South Orange-Maplewood School buildings since September."

“Even when cases do occur, the testing, tracing and quarantining process used in other districts has been proven sufficient in limiting in-school spread,” said Julie Fry, co-leader of the group and parent of a first grader at Seth Boyden Elementary School. “To ignore all of this evidence is to further children and families’ suffering with no rational justification.”

“It is clear to all of us that our teachers have more than risen to the challenges presented, and are truly proving to be exceptional, but there are limits inherent in virtual learning that cannot be changed regardless of the heroic efforts by our teachers, and these impact the youngest and vulnerable learners the most. Moreover, teachers themselves are being done a disservice by facing these limits without proper supportive communication by the district, while preparing day and night to serve their students in this new way,” said Michelle Campana Sullivan, Maplewood resident and parent of a 7-year-old boy at Marshall Elementary School.

“For the youngest and most vulnerable children in our community – including those with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504s and those from economically insecure households – the virtual learning experience cannot effectively substitute for in person. Given what we now know, it’s clear that the district is quite simply failing these children,” continued Sullivan.

Neither the CDC nor the State of New Jersey mandates the additional air filtration projects that have held up South Orange-Maplewood schools’ reopening. SOMA for Safe Return to School believes the existing safety guidelines, which the South Orange-Maplewood School District already meets, are highly effective, as evidenced by the low number of outbreaks traced to thousands of schools across the state.

“It is especially disheartening to see the low priority education, including special education, which requires hands-on work, has been given; other communities, states and countries have even been successful in both limiting the spread of COVID and maintaining the educational momentum of their children because they’ve made keeping schools open a priority,” said Michael Ferguson, parent of a kindergartener and second grader with an IEP at Marshall Elementary School in South Orange.

The community is encouraged to participate in the protest on Saturday and bring signs, their children and masks.

To join the group’s planned rally, visit: www.facebook.com/groups/415503293151907/events.

Click here to sign the petition.

To find out where to get tested for coronavirus in Maplewood, and look at recent statistics, click here.

Got local news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. To keep up with local breaking news when it happens, and get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts and daily newsletters.