Ruiz introduces bills to facilitate remote learning

State Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark) introduced a pair of bills to make remote schooling less of a strain on teachers and parents.

“The closure of schools and shift to virtual instruction has been particularly hard on parents unable to work remotely which now encompasses many of our educators as well,” Ruiz said. “By setting up state-sponsored learning pods, and offering childcare assistance for our essential school employees, we can ease the burden on the caretakers in our state and provide greater continuity for our young learners while, most importantly, maintaining a safe environment for all.”

One bill would create a child care assistance program for teachers and school administrators. That program would closely resemble one administered by the Departments of Human Services and Children and Families during the early months of the pandemic.

The second would mandate the Department of Education create a remote instruction facility program paid for by the state government.

The program would provide computers and supervision for students, with spots going to students facing economic hardship first.