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Newark Public Schools announced Wednesday that students would continue with remote class until April 12 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Students were scheduled to begin returning to in-person classes on Jan. 25. But the plan was opposed by Newark Teachers Union President John Abeigon, Chalkbeat first reported.
“We don’t want to play ping pong with the economy of our parents,” Abeigon told NJ Advance Media on Thursday, adding that it wouldn’t make sense to reopen schools just to close them again in a week. “Right now everyone is a groove. The parents are in a groove. The teachers and students are in a groove.”
In-person classes will begin on April 12 with a hybrid model in Newark, the district said. Newark Board of Education President Josephine Garcia said in a statement that the decision was made after consulting the local health department.
Abeigon said he approved of the district’s decision, especially as the test positivity rate in Newark remains higher than the state. Mayor Ras Baraka said Monday the city’s three-day rolling average for positivity rates on Dec. 24 was 15.36%, compared to 10% in all of New Jersey.
The teachers union president has said all students should be tested before they return to class in Newark. He also called on district and state officials to consider mandating he district’s 36,000 students get a COVID-19 vaccination.
The first phase of the state’s vaccination plan includes health care workers and educators are next in line to get inoculations. However, it remains unclear when the next phase will begin.
Abeigon said the district’s decision to push back re-opening will allow officials to see how the vaccination rollout has any delays.
“It’s a smart decision based on science and care and concern,” he said.
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Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com.