First Look at Executive Order No. 175

To Our School Board Community:

Today, the Governor issued Executive Order No. 175 which addresses, among other things, reopening plans and reopening requirements, requirements for all-remote learning, and periodic updates to the Department of Education. We are working to unpack this lengthy Executive Order so we can provide you with the most up-to-date and accurate information.  In particular we believe school districts should take an immediate look at Paragraph 10, which reads:

All instruction, whether in-person instruction or remote instruction, for the 2020-2021 year shall adhere to the following requirements, and any other requirements imposed by Order, statute, or regulation:

1. A school day, whether in-person or remote must consist of at least four (4) hours of active instruction to students by an appropriately certified teacher, except that one continuous session of two and one-half hours may be considered a full day in kindergarten, pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:32-8.3.
2. District and school policies for attendance and instructional contact time will need to accommodate opportunities for both synchronous and asynchronous instruction, while ensuring the requirements for a 180-day school year are met pursuant to N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-9.
3. All instructional time shall be provided in accordance with the New Jersey Student Learning Standards.

Again, we are in the process of analyzing the lengthy Order but we intend to have a full update out as soon as possible.