NJ Teachers Union: Not Safe To Open Schools On Time Amid COVID-19

Tom Davis
Updated ·4 min read

NEW JERSEY - New Jersey's teachers union head says it's "not plausible" to open up on time in September amid the coronavirus crisis, contending that the Garden State's educators, staff and administrators don't have nearly have enough time to get ready.

"It's not plausible if you want to have health and safety," Marie Blistan, president of the New Jersey Education Association, told Patch on Tuesday.

School is supposed to start Sept. 8, and Gov. Phil Murphy made his most emphatic statement yet Monday that he'd like to see them reopen. "Every education expert has confirmed that in-person education is critical, and remote learning is only an acceptable substitute when absolutely necessary," Murphy said. Read more: Gov. Murphy: In-Person NJ Education 'Critical' Amid Coronavirus

Blistan, however, said she appreciates the efforts the governor is making, but too much needs to be done in too short of a time to make sure that the teachers, staff, administrators and students will be safe.

"It's causing quite a bit of anxiety," she said. "We can't wait until schools open, but it can't be on a date that's on a calendar."

One of the big problems, Blistan said, is that New Jersey's guidelines haven't been updated since they were issued a month ago. Since then, Murphy has ordered that masks must be worn in public if social distancing is not practical. Read more: Gov. Murphy Orders NJ Masks Outside When Not Social Distancing

The guidelines, however, seem to indicate that masks aren't always required in schools, Blistan said. She believes every student and teacher should have at least two masks at their disposal.

The guidelines also aren't very clear about how — or even if — students are quarantined when there is a diagnosis, she said.

In June, Murphy issued the list of rules and guidelines for reopening schools this fall amid the coronavirus outbreak. Read more: Gov. Murphy Issues NJ School Reopening Rules Amid Coronavirus

New Jersey teachers, however, have developed what may be considered a strict set of possible ground rules for getting kids back to school in the fall — and they include wearing masks "door-to-door." Read more: NJ Teachers Develop Possible Back-To-School Coronavirus Rules

But those ground rules wouldn't fix all the issues that need to be addressed within a four-week span, Blistan said.

She suggested that the districts, staff, administrators and teachers need possibly as many as six to eight weeks to make sure everyone is properly equipped with personal protective equipment, and that the technology is in place to address the "digital divide" in education.

Blistan echoed Murphy's concerns that as many as 200,000 children won't have the right access to the internet so they can adequately undertake remote learning.

Indeed, this past week, Murphy announced that New Jersey will provide a remote-learning option for schools amid the coronavirus outbreak. Read more: NJ To Offer Remote-Learning Option For Schools Amid Coronavirus

Here are Blistan's other concerns:

  • Ventilation: Many schools are 100 years old, and since the virus is much more transmissible inside than outside, Blistan questions how safe it can be for teachers, staff and students to be in an environment where the ventilation is poor. Even in newer schools, the ventilation systems are "not anywhere near what a movie theater has, and they're all closed," she said.

  • Redesign: Again, with many schools that are so old, Blistan questions how districts can afford to redesign in such a short period to comply with the state's standards. Should there be plexiglass to protect students?

  • Compliance: Blistan said it's not very clear whether there will be any sort of checks and balances to make sure that schools are complying with the state's guidelines.

  • Colleges versus schools: Blisten suggested that the state should heed — but not necessarily copy — what New Jersey's colleges are doing. Virtually all of them are going remote — or nearly all-remote — during the fall semester.

  • Health and mental services, and school nurses: Blistan questioned whether the state is doing enough to deal with not just the physical issues but also the mental strain that will likely impact students, teachers and others. She's worried about school nurses and how there may not be enough of them to deal with all of the issues.

This article originally appeared on the Toms River Patch