JERSEY CITY, NJ— The Jersey City School Board, led by the Education Matters team, has failed our students, families, teachers, and staff in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The current failed plan, created by the Education Matters candidates, needs be permanently shelved and a new plan, one based on fact-based and scientific research, must be adopted before we reopen our schools for in-person instruction.

The current Education Matters plan has been both reactive and chaotic without clear communication with parents or families – we are only one week into the school year and we can already see it is not working. The current plan does not take into consideration that remote learning negatively affects K-5 and special needs students more than others.

It is unconscionable that six months after schools were initially closed, students somehow STILL do not have the computers and internet access they need for remote learning. Similarly, six months later, school buildings are somehow STILL neither clean nor safe, and STILL do not have ventilation systems that are certified safe for students, teachers, and staff to return for in-person instruction. The Education Matters School Board members have shown time and time again that they have no clear fact or science-based standards for reopening our schools, and they have no comprehensive plan for COVID-19 testing for ALL students, teachers, and staff.

The current plan put forth by the Jersey City Board of Education and the Education Matters team is a total failure. Unless it is completely overhauled, it will be detrimental to the health of our students, and our students will continue to fall further and further behind.

“We shouldn’t be surprised that the Education Matters members of the School Board have failed on so many important issues that are critical to our children, our families and our teachers,” said Wendy Paul, Change For Children campaign manager. “The Education Matters members of the School Board repeatedly failed to stand up to corrupt members of the Board because it would hurt their re-election chances, and they failed taxpayers by raising taxes to historically high levels while wasting money on overpriced outside consultants that they don’t need.”
While the Education Matters members of the School Board are continuing to struggle with the most basic aspects of their job in keeping students safe, the Change For Children candidates are already planning a robust educational strategy for both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The Change For Children candidates’ plan would:
• Hire more tutors and teacher aides to help students recover from the unnecessarily long school closures.
• Track educational outcomes to ensure that the students who need extra help get it.
• Proactively prepare for a new education paradigm that uses technology more effectively to provide equal educational opportunities for all Jersey City students.
• Train teachers, tutors, and teacher aides on the best practices in helping all students succeed.
• Ensure that every school has qualified nurses and mental health professionals to help students and teachers perform at their absolute best.

Parents and taxpayers need to be able to trust that their elected leaders have their backs. Change For Children Board of Education candidates Asheenia Johnson, Sonia N. Cintron, and Karen Poliski have the experience, dedication, leadership, integrity, and plans to take Jersey City schools to new heights and new levels of excellence.

Change For Children encourages those interested in better schools for Jersey City schoolchildren and their families to sign up for updates at ChangeForChildrenJC.com and to follow the campaign on Facebook @ChangeforChildrenJC, Twitter @changeteamJC, and Instagram @ChangeForChildrenJC.

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