Gov. Phil Murphy is now
saying some teachers and students with health issues will have the option for
remote learning next school year.
At a COVID-19 press briefing
last week, the governor said all school districts would not be allowed to offer
virtual learning for the next school year, even if parents requested it. But now,
that's not entirely the
case.
The governor clarified
Tuesday on our
Ask Governor Murphy show that students and teachers with health
issues that could lead to a more severe COVID-19 case would still have a remote
option, while everyone else would be back inside classrooms five days a week.
"I did not intend to
include folks who have some immunity or some other issue with their health where
that could put them at risk,” says Gov. Murphy. “But I did mean that Monday through Friday, schools
are open for business, and unless you've got some sort of health challenge of
one sort or the other, we fully expect we're in business for school."
Since the start of the
academic year, the state has reported 205 school outbreaks, resulting in 947
cases, and as of last week, only 90 districts were still remote-only.
The governor says he doesn't
quite know when it comes to who would qualify and be allowed to participate in
virtual learning, but that it will be up to districts to handle it.