Gov. Phil Murphy made the right decision when he ordered New Jersey schools to close last March, but he now needs to take charge again and mandate in-person learning across the state, exasperated parents demanded at a rally Saturday.
More than 100 parents from different communities gathered in Montclair’s Rand Park, elevating a fight that has been largely fought locally to a statewide rallying call. Their message: It’s time for Murphy to act and order schools to schools reopen five days a week for in-person learning.
“Aside from our [superintendents] and our board of ed, the person that I blame ultimately for this is Gov. Murphy,” said rally organizer Danielle Wildstein, a parent in the Scotch Plains-Fanwood School District.
She added: “It has come down to [Murphy], who gave the responsibility to the superintendents back in August, gave them a very gray blueprint and then stepped aside... it’s really about him stepping up now.”
The demand comes as about 5% of New Jersey students — 70,000 children — currently have the opportunity to learn full-time in person because of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest data provided the state. Roughly 367,000 students remain in all-virtual instruction, while the majority of students are in hybrid learning with limited access to their classrooms.
“The Governor understands that there is no substitute for in-person learning and the administration continues to encourage districts to pursue in-person instruction as soon as it is safe to do so,” his office said in statement Saturday evening.
The state has provided more $100 million in federal relief funds to assist districts in reopening, covering costs of acquiring PPE, plexiglass, cleaning materials, HVAC filters, and other supports, the statement said.
Murphy last June announced schools would be required to provide in-person instruction. Then, amid increasing safety concerns in August, he said schools would be allowed to delay reopening if they could offer legitimate reasons for not teaching in-person, such as poor ventilation or a lack of protective equipment.
The governor has since said local officials are most knowledgable about when their buildings can safely reopen, though he hopes all students can return as quickly as possible. He has also said he hopes more schools will open soon now that teachers are eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.
Families from Essex and neighboring counties gather to protest a full year of school closures, at Rand Park in Montclair on Saturday afternoon. 3/13/2021
The rally was held in Montclair, a district where the school reopening fight landed in court, but featured a coalition of school reopening advocates from across the state. Throughout the pandemic, a network of parents found solidarity over social media, mobilizing other residents to take up the same rallying cry and share strategies.
On Friday, South Orange-Maplewood parents and children gathered on the lawn of Marshall Elementary School for a “school-in,” so students could log on for virtual instruction with hotspots. And parents at Bridgewater-Raritan Schools also rallied Saturday, calling for a “clear plan for the future which prioritizes the education and the safety of all.”
Even in districts where major demands have now been met, the fight doesn’t seem to be dying down. In Scotch Plains-Fanwood, elementary students have gone back to five half-days of in-person instruction and grades 5-12 will have the same option starting Monday.
“Yes, my son and the children in Scotch Plains-Fanwood are lucky, but it’s not enough,” Wildstein said. “And I come here, because I will not stop fighting until every single public school in New Jersey is open full-time for every single child.”
Mateo Reau, 6, of Montclair adds his voice to protest a full year of school closures, at Rand Park in Montclair on Saturday afternoon. 3/13/2021
Speakers told personal accounts of their kids’ remote instruction struggles to a cheering crowd holding signs that read “no child left online” and “home school makes me drool.”
Nadine Fuller, a Monroe Township parent, described how her 6-year-old with autism has missed out on crucial speech and occupational therapy while schools were closed.
“When these skills go away, because kids haven’t been in school for over a year, it’s terrible, it’s painful and it leaves parents like me and many other parents in a very compromising position,” Fuller said.
Other featured speakers included Amy Kayda, a mental health professional and Nutley parent, as well as Rachel Rosenberg, a family physician and Montclair parent.
Kayda, who provides adolescent mental health treatment, according to her LinkedIn profile, explained how the lack of routine, structure, socialization and social-emotional learning has resulted in increased depression, anxiety, self-injury, eating disorders and suicidal ideation among children.
“The impact of the lockdown and prolonged school closure has been devastating to children’s mental health,” Kayda said.
She cited a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics, an organization of 67,000 pediatricians, who found that pediatric emergency department visits for mental health rose by 31 percent in 2020 for kids ages 12-17.
Danielle Prussin-Wildstein of Scotch Plains leads a rally to protest a full year of school closures, at Rand Park in Montclair on Saturday afternoon. 3/13/2021
Rosenberg also drew on the recommendations of the AAP, which has advocated for students to return to classrooms.
“The lockdown that started a year ago today was undoubtedly the right thing to do,” Rosenberg said. “But science has brought us a long way in the last year. Science has helped us identify and protect those most vulnerable to COVID. Science has helped us understand how to best support and treat hospitalized patients with COVID. Science has brought us a vaccine… and science has brought us a clear understanding of how to make our schools safe.”
She pointed to five guidelines for schools: three feet of physical distancing, clear instructions to stay home when feeling sick, face masks, handwashing and a quarantine procedure.
Of course, not everyone is in complete agreement on these guidelines, with the debate over three feet or six feet of social distancing proving to be a flashpoint in the school reopening movement.
Parents from Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Montclair and South Orange-Maplewood have all filed lawsuits against their boards of education to see their districts reopen for all students.
In South Orange-Maplewood, the district announced that kindergarten, first and second grade students would return to the classroom on Monday, after weeks of failed negotiations with the teachers’ union. In Montclair, the parties agreed to bring students back in school on April 12, earlier this week.
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Josh Axelrod may be reached at jaxelrod@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.