At the February 1 Board of Education meeting, members discussed sending a letter to the state Department of Education, Governor Phil Murphy, and local legislators, concerning the potential for the district to have flexible remote learning days to help offset snow days and other emergency needs in a tight school calendar.A state bill is in its very early stages, which, if drafted and passed, could give districts the ability to declare remote days (or provide the option to attend school remotely on a given day) at the discretion of the local Boards of Education and district superintendents.While most of the Livingston Board was in support of sending the letter, member Sam Messer expressed concerns about students having fewer than 180 days of in-person instruction, saying that children learn best in school.Board President Seth Cohen said that by advocating for a fixed and small number of emergency remote days, the district could be afforded a much-needed option. He noted that the district has removed snow days in recent years to accommodate holidays. Lunar New Year, taking place on the day of the Board meeting where this discussion occurred, was initially scheduled to be off but the calendar had to be adjusted due to the lack of available days.Not specifically mentioned at the meeting, though obvious to everyone who endured the past few months of the pandemic, were the staffing shortages and student absences due to COVID, and how the ability to enact a remote option may have helped all involved endure the worst of the omicron surge.We understand the importance of in-person learning, as, sadly, we have two years of evidence pointing to the fact that children learn significantly more while physically present in classrooms.We also do understand the concerns that permanent permission to utilize emergency remote learning days might become a “slippery slope,” however, we doubt that this would be the case. Everyone seems to agree that remote learning is far from ideal, and it is hard to envision a world in which people are advocating for more remote days than are absolutely necessary.We have learned over the past few years that even the best laid plans can be upended quickly and with little to no advance notice. This bill would provide our school district with an additional tool to use when these emergency situations arise.As such, we fully support the Board of Education and superintendent of schools Matthew Block’s ...
