In an announcement that should come as a surprise to no one, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced on May 4 that all schools state-wide will remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year due to the COVID-19 health crisis. The Governor made the announcement on his twitter, (@GovMurphy) saying “Guided by safety and science, this is the best course of action.”

The news comes as New Jersey currently has ~128,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with nearly 8,000 dead. New Jersey is second only to New York for both confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 across the country, and a reopening of the state, including schools, is nowhere in sight for the time being.

While the news may be disheartening for those yearning for a return to in-person teaching due to the monotony and difficulty of online learning, ultimately I agree with Governor Murphy’s choice. The school year is over next month. To re-open schools now would be a hasty, unwise decision that could put many at-risk Hawthornians in harm’s way. COVID-19 has become endemic enough in our local community that it would no doubt spread very easily in our classrooms.

It is an unfortunate ending to what was shaping up to be a great year, especially for the Senior class that has now been robbed of its many scheduled graduation celebrations. These are unprecedented times though, and the lives and safety of others outweighs the importance of Senior class activities many, many times over.