The Woodbridge schools superintendent is warning parents — as they head into a week-long fall break and coronavirus cases across the state increase — that a shutdown of schools could happen if coronavirus cases continue to surge in New Jersey.
But Gov. Phil Murphy says he’s hoping it won’t come to that.
Superintendent Robert Zega, speaking in advance of a school break that starts Monday, said the K-12 district plans to resume its hybrid learning schedule after students return on Nov. 9.
“Of course, all of this is predicated on the fact that we don’t see any major surge in cases in the state,” Zega said in a 7-minute video posted to the district’s website on Wednesday.
“If the numbers keep going the way they are, there’s a distinct possibility that we could hear something from Trenton, as far as a shutdown, but, as of now, we haven’t heard that. We haven’t heard any inkling of that. So, we have our plan in place,” Zega said.
Zega, contacted Friday, clarified that he hadn’t heard anything about a statewide closure but wanted to inform parents “of any and all possibilities.”
“The fact that our statewide COVID stats are approaching the high April/May 2020 levels is alarming,” Zega said in an email.
Murphy ordered schools to close in March, an order that was extended through the end of the school year in June but has given no indication of taking that step a second time. He has blamed small gatherings in homes for many of the recent cases.
Murphy was asked Friday by NJ Advance Media whether schools might again be shut down statewide.
“I hope not,” Murphy responded, adding that he hadn’t seen the Woodbridge video.
“As we’ve expected, we’ve got a fairly significant migration from all-remote to hybrid, which we had expected, and the rate of transmission inside of schools has still stayed well within any expectation. We take each one of them deadly seriously, but they’re well within any expectation. So I hope not,” the governor said.
Murphy was more forceful in mid-September, stating at that time he did not “foresee” a statewide school shutdown.
“If we’re doing that, then we as a nation and as a world have fallen back into a really deep reality and a really dark reality. I do not anticipate that," he said at that time.
Murphy said on Thursday that a second wave of COVID-19 is hitting the state. He announced 1,477 more cases — the 12th straight day of more than 1,000 new positive tests — and eight deaths.
Schools in New Jersey have periodically closed this fall due to positive coronavirus cases and several districts opting for all-remote learning, including Newark, Paterson and Bloomfield, recently opted to extend virtual instruction into 2021.
Zega said there were two more confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday of people in Woodbridge schools — he did not specify teachers or students — bringing the total to 31 since the district began its hybrid schedule three weeks ago.
Referencing Woodbridge’s upcoming fall break, Zega said any students and staffers traveling to states on New Jersey’s travel advisory list will be required to quarantine for two weeks upon returning.
While Pennsylvania, Delaware and Connecticut meet the criteria for inclusion but are exempted from the quarantine advisory, Zega said the district’s quarantine directive will apply to anyone visiting any of those three states.
“Anyone who travels over the break, students or staff, if they travel to one of the identified states, or high-risk states — which just about every state is — they will be required to quarantine for 14 days upon their return,” Zega said.
“If you’re traveling, even to Philadelphia, over the break, you’ll have to come back to New Jersey and quarantine for 14 day,” Zega said.
He said the local directive “could present a problem when we get back to school.”
For that reason, all students will use virtual learning on Monday, Nov. 9.
Having that extra day, Zega said, will “allow our principals to determine if they have enough staff that are not quarantined to come in and be present in school and be able to run the school for those students who are in-person.”
“If we have too many teachers and staff members who are quarantined, then we won’t have enough subs, and we won’t have enough people to supervise the children,” Zega said.
If that happens, Woodbridge would switch to all-remote learning, on a school by school basis.
“Hopefully, everything’s OK and we can continue with our hybrid instruction plan,” Zega said.
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Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com.
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Superintendent says schools could shut down as COVID-19 cases surge. Murphy says ‘I hope not.’ - NJ.com
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