NJ Governor Phil Murphy's 1 p.m. press conference joined NJ Department of Education Commissioner Dr. Lamont Repollet to prepare a plan to reopen the state's schools in September.
According to Governor Murphy, all NJ schools are cleared to open for in-person learning in September. Schools will need to ensure that students, teachers, and staff can properly social distance. This may mean reducing class sizes or moving to a hybrid in-person/online learning environment.
They also stipulate that if any kind of remote learning is to continue, the school must ensure that those students have the proper devices and a reliable connection to the internet.
The guidance also says that teachers and staff must wear face-coverings in the building and students are encouraged to wear them during the day and required to wear them if they can't properly social distance (ie. during passing times)
Schools will be required to work with custodial staff and bus drivers to ensure that the classrooms and the buses are properly cleaned and sanitized every day.
According to Governor Murphy, schools must have their plans in place at least a month before the start of the school year.
They are also required to have a plan in place that would allow them to return to remote learning quickly if the state of the pandemic changes.