Madison Teachers Cite Fears Of In-Person Classes

MADISON, NJ—Madison School District teachers voiced concern at Tuesday's board of education meeting over the health risks of teaching students in person.

"As you can imagine, the uncertainty of this time has created a great deal of stress for our growing family," said Megan Ehrenfeld, a Madison High School Spanish teacher who is pregnant. She added that her work-from-home request was denied, forcing her to teach in-person.

"I'm dedicated to my students," she said, "but what this board is asking me to do crossed a line." The teacher added that her anxiety isn't just personal. "I'm extremely concerned about the educational quality my students will receive if we're not teaching remotely."

Ehrenfeld said students were in danger of receiving low-quality instruction while asking the board to reconsider the return to school plan. Superintendent Mark Schwarz has reiterated the district's course, but conceded that staffing—especially work from home requests—could be a problem.

"We will not feasibly be able to open with confidence in our supervision if we were to grant work from home accommodations to the 30-plus staff members who want to work from home," he said at the Monday board meeting.

The New Jersey Education Association called for statewide remote-only learning earlier this month, and more than 180 New Jersey schools have switched to remote-only instruction.

Madison is currently set to begin the school year in Phase 1 of its three-step reopening plan, in which students will attend classes in person twice per week on alternating days with early dismissal.