New School Rules for NJ for the coming year. Does anybody see this working? How much are property taxes going to increase to attempt to comply with these rules.
https://www.nj.com/coronavirus/2020...eping-new-rules-under-just-released-plan.html
--All teachers, school staff members and visitors will be required to wear masks unless they can’t for health reasons. Students must also wear masks when they can’t stay six feet apart and are encouraged, but not required, to keep their face coverings on throughout the school day.
--Schools must “strive” for social distancing in the classroom and on school buses. If there is not enough room to keep students six feet apart, districts should consider physical barriers between desks and turning all desks all in the same direction. They should also consider installing barriers in buses.
--Students can eat lunch in school cafeterias, but meal times must be staggered to allow for social distancing and disinfecting. Self-service and buffet-style food service will not be allowed.
--Recess and gym will be permitted, but school districts must limit the size of groups and mark off areas to “ensure separation between students.” Playground and other equipment must be disinfected between uses. Gym locker rooms will be closed. No contact sports will be allowed for the time being.
--Schools must set up a plan for screening students and staff for COVID-19 symptoms and work with the local health department and school nurses to use contact tracing to identify those who have come in contact with people who test positive.
--Floors and sidewalks should have tape and signs to help guide how students should walk to maintain social distancing in common areas and hallways. Schools also need to step up their cleaning and disinfecting schedules. Bathrooms must be cleaned and sanitized “between use as much as possible.”
Murphy required the state’s schools to close March 18, leaving officials to scramble to set up distance-learning plans as students adjusted to learning from home.
Parents have also been waiting for an announcement on when and if their children will return to school in the fall so families can make decisions about childcare and returning to work.
Each school district is expected to release its own reopening plan using the state guidance, meaning it could be several more weeks before students and their families know exactly how they will be returning to school.
The guidelines say districts should share their plans with families at least four weeks before the start of school to allow parents to plan.
The guidelines mean many districts will need to make difficult decisions about how to set up classrooms and other spaces for social distancing, along with how to create a bus schedule that allows for students to sit six feet apart.
“I understand this will be no easy feat,” state Education Commissioner Lamont Repollet said of the reopening plan.
State officials acknowledged getting young children or disabled students to keep masks on all day could be difficult. They also said it may be impossible to maintain social distancing on school buses.
Some districts may also need to stagger when the school day begins or modify school schedules, creating the need for more before- and after-school child care for families, state officials said.
If coronavirus infection rates rise, school districts may need to abandon their plans and go back to distance learning, state officials warned.
“Because reopening is dependent upon health data and informed by experts in the health field, districts will need to be prepared to pivot to remote instruction at any time during the 2020-2021 school year,” the state’s announcement said.
From increased disinfecting to mandatory purchasing of personal protective equipment, the new requirements are expected to come with added costs for school districts, including many facing budget cuts due to a reduction in state funding.
“To the greatest extent possible, districts should consider making expenditure from various accounts or overbudgeted line items to meet unanticipated costs and to manage their cash flow,” the guidelines say.
Schools can also tap into emergency reserve funds, but the commissioner of the Department of Education needs to approve the requests, state officials said.