Some parents say they're not ready for in-person school to return

Gov. Phil Murphy says New Jersey schools will be open full-time and in person in the new school year.

News 12 Staff

May 18, 2021, 9:40 AM

Updated 1,318 days ago

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Some parents say they're not ready for in-person school to return
Gov. Phil Murphy says New Jersey schools will be open full-time and in person in the new school year.
Murphy said during a news conference Monday on the COVID-19 outbreak that an executive order he signed in August allowing schools to offer remote and hybrid learning will expire at the end of the current school year.
The announcement ends the governor’s previous order that allowed school districts to go virtual. Now parents will no longer have the option to opt out of in-person learning for their children.
The Hamilton Township School District held a vaccine clinic Monday for its students in preparation for the return to school in September. But vaccinations will not be mandatory for students.
Meanwhile, the parents of some students in New Jersey are speaking out against the governor's decision to no longer offer virtual options for students.
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The details aren't clear in regard to immuno-compromised children or children with disabilities. There are hundreds of parents not comfortable sending their immune-compromised children, or children living with disabilities, back to school.
"I want my kids back in school,” says Cumberland County parent Michelle Serabian. “They want to be back in school but since they're under 12, they can't be vaccinated yet. “Our goal is to keep them remote until they're fully vaccinated. Sending them back prior is short-sighted and negates all the sacrifices over the past year to keep them home and safe."
Another concern from these parents is if the siblings of their-immuno compromised children attends school in person and happens to get infected with COVID-19, potentially bringing the virus back home.
Murphy had clarified on News 12 New Jersey’s ‘Ask Gov. Murphy’ that at-risk students and teachers would have a virtual option, but it would be up to individual school districts to set that up.
AP wire services helped contribute to this report.