Virtual or Remote Instruction Plan
On May 17, 2021, Governor Murphy announced that upon the conclusion of the 2020-2021 school year, portions of Executive Order 175 allowing remote learning will be rescinded, meaning that schools will be required to provide full-day, in-person instruction, as they were prior to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.
In April 2020, Governor Murphy issued an executive order that became P.L.2020, c.27 . This law provides for the continuity of instruction in the event of a public-health related district closure so that LEAs can utilize virtual or remote instruction to satisfy the 180-day requirement pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-9 . This Plan for Virtual or Remote Instruction includes the requirements for virtual or remote instruction procedures and protocols if the District is forced to close district-wide as a result of a declared emergency.
In order to provide transparency and ensure that New Jersey students continue to receive high quality, standards-based instruction, each school district, charter school, renaissance school project and Approved Private School for Students with Disabilities (APSSDs) must annually submit its proposed program for virtual or remote instruction (plan) to the Commissioner of Education.
This plan would be implemented during a district closure lasting more than three consecutive school days due to a declared state of emergency, declared public health emergency, or a directive by the appropriate health agency or officer to institute a public health-related closure. The superintendent will consult with the board of education, if practicable, prior to implementing the school district’s plan of virtual or remote instruction. A day of virtual or remote instruction, if instituted under a plan approved by the Commissioner of Education, is considered the equivalent of a full day of school attendance for the purposes of meeting State and local graduation requirements, awarding of course credit, and such other matters as determined by the Commissioner of Education.