After going through the 62-page guidelines of a central Jersey school reopening plan over the weekend, I was confused but grateful. Grateful that my kids are out of public school and very grateful that I don't work in such a confusing and utterly ridiculous government-run tangle of a bureaucracy.

It was a perfect example of what happens to the mind when you spend too much time in school, and how unionized state employees think. Part of the plan for most schools is temperature checks upon arrival at school. One North Jersey district did a test run with 30 of its staff members last week and it took 45 minutes.

Many New Jersey high schools have staffs of between 100 and 175, and some have about 500 students. Imagine all of the staff and students getting to school between 7:30 and 7:45 a.m., standing 6 feet apart and waiting to get their temperature checked. You might get into school by third period if you're lucky. That's just the tip of the iceberg of plans and procedures.

One principal told a friend of mine he's 99% sure they'll have to go back to remote learning. Which means little or no learning, let's be honest. Now the legislature is divided on what legislation it should pass regarding the reopening. Some committees in the ASSembly think it's best to continue remote learning while another committee feels it's better for the students' overall well being and for the economy to try to make it work.

The government rarely operates anything smoothly or well and public school is no different. This is not to say there aren't many excellent, hard working and dedicated educators in our schools. There are plenty. They just happen to be caught up in the same mess as our kids.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy. Any opinions expressed are Dennis' own.

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