Jersey City Public Schools Delay Reopening To September

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Jersey City Public Schools will not return to in-person learning until September, according to an announcement from Superintendent Franklin Walker. The announcement was sent to parents on Sunday night.

The robocall that parents received claimed there was a lack of necessary staff to reopen the schools as planned next week. Last month, Walker announced the district would reopen in the fourth marking period

"The staff we need for adequate supervision and instruction is not available. On Thursday, we had 458 instruction staff absent and then close to 500 on Friday," the call said.

Mayor Steven Fulop blamed the district in a Facebook post, writing:

"I understand the leadership at the Jersey City Public Schools just notified all parents that the Jersey City schools will not reopen till September.

I don’t know how else to describe this other than an absolute failure in leadership and planning at the JCPS and I’m saddened for the families, children, and those dedicated teachers that were hoping to return.

I struggle with the fact that our Jersey City public schools couldn’t figure out some version of in-person learning when Newark, NYC, Hoboken, and virtually every surrounding district has been able to reinstitute some form of in-person learning.

The damage that this decision will do is significant and I hope they reconsider."

Nearby districts like North Bergen and West New York have already started in-person learning, while neighboring cities like Bayonne and Union City have plans to bring students back by May.