Reopening New Jersey: Some school districts welcome students back with hybrid model

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Some school districts in NJ welcome students back with hybrid models

Toni Yates reports on the students heading back to school in New Jersey.

MAHWAH, New Jersey (WABC) -- Some school districts reopened Tuesday in New Jersey and they're all doing it in their own way. Some will open fully remote, some with students returning full time and others with a hybrid model.

George Washington Elementary School is welcoming back students Tuesday morning with a hybrid model. They will have in-person instruction for part of the day, and remote learning for the second half.

The district put out a video set to the theme from "Back to the Future" showing how things have changed.

Masks are required, there are social distancing markers in the hallway, and there is a reduced capacity in classrooms for starters.

But other districts are choosing to start the year fully remote. That includes Paterson and Newark schools which will assess the safety situation after the first marking period.

"Our strategy is to take the realities that are occurring right now, and say when the pandemic is more behind us than ahead of us, how will we have changed our teaching practices because of this experience?" said Roger Leon, Newark Superintendent.

Governor Phil Murphy says the majority of school districts are starting with at least some in-person learning with just under a third starting all-remote.

Meanwhile, the new school year got underway in Westchester's largest school district too.

Teachers were in empty classrooms in front of a computer while students were home online. Classes in Yonkers will be completely remote for the month of September, but students are following a full bell schedule.