Student Petition Pushes Edison Schools To Go Virtual Amid COVID

EDISON, NJ — A petition by a high school student in Edison calling for virtual learning in the school district has gained over 3,500 signatures.

Edison Public Schools is among the few districts in New Jersey to offer in-person classes since winter break. When most school districts decided to move to virtual learning at the beginning of the new year, Edison informed families on Dec. 31 that remote learning was mandated only for students affected by COVID-19.

“I speak for the numerous bright students of Edison who have expressed great concern about this new policy. Those concerns not only by the students but the parents seem to be disregarded despite their efforts during the past four months, continuously going to school while social distancing and continuing to excel with the constant fear of catching the virus or even worse passing it on to a loved one,” the student wrote on Change.org.

Allowing only those students who tested positive for COVID-19 to participate in remote learning was "not sufficient" to stop the spread of the virus, the student wrote.

“Is it impossible to not get affected with Covid-19 after Jan 3 at 7:40 AM? When we all sit shoulder to shoulder in the cafeteria? When we all squeeze through the halls? When we get stepped on walking through the intersection? Will coronavirus just disappear?”

Many parents and guardians who signed the petition expressed concern over the school’s policy to remain open when COVID-19 cases spike in the state, driven mainly by the omicron variant.

During the district’s reorganization meeting on Jan.3, student journalists from the high school newspaper questioned the School Board and the Superintendent on transparency regarding updating the district’s COVID-19 numbers.

The district said they were working to have a dashboard to reflect the positive cases and that they are enhancing testing across schools.

In the meeting, which went on for over three hours, community members voiced their concerns about overcrowding in the district, saying social distancing was difficult in high-traffic settings like the cafeteria and hallways. A high school student even called on the district to have a better contact tracing method.

Superintendent Bernard Bragen said as far as he understands, current state laws do not allow for hybrid learning. He said many students suffered "significant learning losses" at every level, and online learning "wasn't the same" as being in a classroom for many students.

The Superintendent noted that many students were struggling with mental health issues.

"When you have students that are attempting suicide, I would argue that yes it (social/emotional learning) is important. Where some of our students are with their ability to cope with frustration, the burdens of being in school on a regular basis, and things that they haven't navigated for almost a year-and-a-half, many are struggling," Bragen said.

"These decisions are not made in isolation, that we would take easily."

Bragen said many New Jersey school districts, like South Brunswick, went remote due to staffing concerns. That situation hasn't risen in Edison yet, he said. Although there are COVID-19-related staff absences, the school district has enough staff to open schools safely.

COVID-19 cases among school staff in Middlesex County have spiked since the holiday break, according to data from the New Jersey's Department of Health. Read More: COVID In Middlesex County Schools: What NJ Data Reveals

Middlesex County has reported case rates higher than the state average of 29.73 cases per 1,000 people.

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