During his daily press conference today, Governor Murphy revealed that 745 school districts have submitted their plans for the fall. This includes private, religious and public school districts. And while some have opted to start the school year fully remotely, the bulk of school districts are proposing a hybrid schedule.
Earlier this summer, Murphy and the NJ Department of Education sent out guidelines for in-person schooling this fall and encouraged districts to have students in the buildings. Plans were due earlier this month. While it seems like many schools are opting to stay fully remote, the plans submitted show the bulk of school districts will be offering hybrid learning.
There were 745 plans submitted, with 436 districts opting for a hybrid learning plan. There are 180 districts looking to delay their in-person start (which would be a fully remote option), 59 that are proposing a full-time, in-person scenario and 11 that have some mix of the above.
Of these plans, there are 251 that have been approved, 389 that have been reviewed and sent back for revisions and 105 that are still pending approval. Murphy said the Department of Education is working through these pending plans as quickly as possible. He also reiterated his statement from last week, that those districts with fully-remote learning must have a justifiable reason for delaying opening, and a plan in place to bring students back safely for in-person learning later in the fall.