A northern New Jersey school district says opening for in-person classes has become a “mathematical impossibility” with 375 teachers refusing to return to the classroom, according to a report.
The Elizabeth School District’s board voted to begin the school year remotely since coronavirus fears would keep too many teachers home from school, NJ.com reported.
”As of Monday, 375 teachers have notified the district that they cannot report to work inside a school building in September due to health related issues,” district spokesman Pat Politano told the outlet.
“There would be insufficient staff to open safely in person with that many teachers unavailable for in-person instruction.”
The Department of Education — which has called for all schools to open with some in-person classes — would need to greenlight the district’s plan to stay remote, the outlet reported.
School districts are required to make accommodations for educators who don’t want to return to campus over health fears, according to the reopening guidelines.
But it’s unclear what should be done if there are not enough educators to hold in-person classes, NJ.com reported.
“It became a mathematical impossibility. The superintendent, staff and Board of Education worked hundreds of hours, through Monday afternoon, to try to meet the directive from Gov. [Phil] Murphy and the Department of Education to open schools,” Politano said.