New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy opened his May 17 media briefing by saying Executive Order 175 will expire at the end of the current school year.
“Through this action we are declaring that all students will be back in school for full-time, in-person instruction for the start of the 2021-2022 school year,” Murphy said. “Further, this announcement also includes the removal of the full-time remote learning option for families.”
Murphy continued by acknowledging circumstances are different from a year ago, when plans were being made for the current school year: “We know much more about this virus and how it spreads, we have much more on-the-ground experience in fighting it, and we have a robust vaccination program that now reaches adolescents as young as 12.”
He added, “I echo the words of Randi Weingarten, a friend [and] president of the American Federation of Teachers, who over the weekend said her union was, and I quote her, ‘All in.’ She also said, and I quote Randi, ‘The United States will not be fully back until we are fully back in school.’ ”