Governor Murphy Announces 2021-2022 School Year Guidance
TRENTON – Governor Murphy, New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) Acting Commissioner Dr. Angelica Allen-McMillan, and New Jersey Department of Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli today announced a series of coordinated recommendations and guidance documents to assist school districts and educators as they develop local reopening plans for the 2021-2022 school year. All public school districts in New Jersey are expected to provide full-time, in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year. Documents released today will be critical as districts plan for full-time instruction and continue the pathway to recovery from COVID-19.
Today’s guidance includes health and safety recommendations that provide strategies to reduce risks to students and staff from COVID-19, while still prioritizing full-time, in-person learning; a self-assessment of district readiness to accelerate learning and to provide supportive school climates; and a compilation of specific, research-backed priorities and practices to accelerate learning.
The health and safety guidance document released today replace the protocols outlined in Executive Order No. 175 and in the NJDOE’s The Road Back.
“The recommendations we are releasing today will provide school districts with a roadmap to bring students and staff back to safe, enriching school environments,” said Governor Murphy. “This guidance will help districts and educators develop plans to meet their student’s educational, social, emotional and mental health needs. Our students and educators have displayed amazing resiliency during the pandemic, and I am pleased that the upcoming school year will provide a sense of normalcy that students haven’t had since March 2020.”
Click here to read the full guidance report.
Absent any dramatic change in our situation before the beginning of the school year, masking by students while in their school buildings will NOT be mandatory – unless a school district requires masking as part of its own protocols. pic.twitter.com/rVlIe3tcyg
— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) June 28, 2021
