Morris Schools Will Open As Planned

MORRISTOWN, NJ—Superintendent Mackey Pendergrast said on Monday that Morris schools will begin the academic year as planned, and vented frustration after a summer that saw reopening requirements in a constant state of uncertainty.

“In New Jersey, every district was left to fend for themselves,” Pendergrast said at Monday’s school board meeting. “There wasn’t a regional plan, there wasn’t a state plan.”

The Morris School District's reopening blueprint involves 5 days of 4-hour instruction for elementary students and a 50/50 hybrid model for middle and high school students. About 20 percent of the district’s 5,000 students elected to attend all-remote school.

Pendergrast noted that the latest guidelines were issued with less than one month before classes began. The superintendent added that district employees worked hard to get the buildings in compliance with the state rules, including erecting shields, installing sanitizer stations, and improving air flow and quality.

Governor Murphy's initial directive to school districts was that some form of in-person instruction was required, and districts planned accordingly. But on Aug. 12, the governor reversed course, issuing guidelines that must be followed before in-person school can begin, upending many return-to-school plans.

After members of The Education Association of Morris expressed their frustration and anxiety over the safety of the union's members in the classroom, Pendergrast said he shared their concern. But, he noted, only Murphy could act.

“I can’t make the decision to go all-remote,” he said, “that’s the governor’s decision.”