OLD BRIDGE, N.J. – Less than a week after Old Bridge parents took a stand and rallied for a return to in-person instruction, the school district announced that it would move ahead with reopening for in-person instruction on February 16th.
One of the rally’s attendees – a GOP candidate for State Senate in LD12 this spring – believes the affired message couldn’t be any clearer.
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“Last Saturday, the Old Bridge parents rallied, and sent a message to New Jersey: Our children’s well-being and education comes first. Now the children will be back where they belong, in school,” said Old Bridge Councilman Mark Razzoli on Sunday. “It’s a great day for our children.”
Up until now, New Jersey Republican legislators have been relatively silent on the subject despite widespread parental support for a return to in-person school. That’s finally starting to change.
GOP gubernatorial primary frontrunner Jack Ciattarelli cut a web vide over the weekend supporting a return to in-person schooling.
On Tuesday, Assemblywomen BettyLou DeCroce (R-26) and Serena DiMaso (R-13) and Assemblyman Erik Simonsen (R-1) sent a series of questions to Murphy Administration Acting Commissioner of Education Angelica Allen-McMillan ranging from testing policy and vaccination priorities to the plight of special education students and their families.
“I think everyone agrees that in-person learning is crucial, especially for children from our underserved communities that don’t have equitable access to the Internet and rely on school breakfast and lunch for their nutrition,” said Assemblywoman DeCroce. “But since kids are still not in the classroom, it is evident that the key players are not prioritizing our families most in need. It is time to fully fund schools so that they have what they need to reopen.”
190 school districts statewide are still offering only remote instruction. Urban districts serving Newark, Trenton, Camden, Paterson, Pleasantville, and Jersey City remain remote despite serving some of the state’s most vulnerable student populations most like to be left behind for want of the structure afforded by attending classes in a physical building. Parents in these communities are also taking an economic hit since they need to choose between working and faciliting their kids’ class attendence.
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