Both Asbury Park and Neptune school districts will begin the school year with all-remote learning only.
Neptune was considering a hybrid plan of some remote learning and some in school learning earlier in the summer. But School Superintendent Tami R. Crader said in a statement to parents that “Current restrictions, coupled with an ever-increasing number of all-remote requests, will prevent us from providing a high quality, safe, and manageable educational environment for on-site and at-home students by the beginning of September.”
She said the school year will begin with all remote learning
“We will re-evaluate by the end of October or if the restrictions are lifted sooner than that time,” she said.
Asbury Park will also begin the school year will all remote learning for 30 days. School officials will then evaluate to determine if another plan is needed.
Neptune school officials said they worked over the summer to develop a reopening plan for schools in September but “ we find ourselves facing challenges that are beyond our control.”
“Unlike the period of time in March when we moved to an all-remote model over a weekend and with little preparation, we have prepared a more structured every-day format for our current school year,” Crader said. “ Students will be expected to attend each day’s virtual sessions that are directed by the teacher unless a student’s circumstances require a different accommodation to be arranged with the building Principal. Students will be graded according to our standard grading system and will be assessed along the way.
“I am confident that this short-term sacrifice will allow us to focus our collective efforts toward delivering a solid virtual program, will better protect our staff and students’ health and safety, and will eventually result in meeting our long-term goal of opening all day every day.”