Earlier today, Governor Phil Murphy announced that "there is a chance" that schools in New Jersey could reopen before the end of the academic year. This mutable approach has surprised many, given that "43 states, 4 U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia have ordered or recommended school building closures for the rest of the academic year, affecting approximately 45.1 million public school students."
This announcement does not guarantee that schools will open this year. As of now, in-person schooling is canceled until at least May 15th. Governor Murphy, however, hopes to tackle the Coronavirus pandemic, and its devastating effects upon the New Jersey community, one step at a time, from next month onwards.
Governor Murphy is confident that New Jersey will be able to double its testing capacity by the end of May 2020, thereby offering an opportunity to reduce the heavy social distancing measures currently in place. However, until state authorities have more knowledge of the spread of the disease, and control over the infected population, what life will look like this summer is still unknown.
Here at Genie Academy, we understand that it can be scary to grapple with the idea of your child's education vs. your child's health. Hence, we are hosting a webinar with Dr. Sunita Satwani, a highly regarded pediatrician. Dr. Satwani will specifically address Coronavirus Prevention with respect to children and how to handle a school re-opening, be it this academic year or next Fall. We hope you will be able to join us.
In the meantime, please stay safe and stay at home, as much as possible. When required to go out, be sure to wear a mask and gloves. And as always, wash your hands.
Keep well,
Your friends at Genie Academy
