Announcement Regarding NJ DECA District ConferencesPublished by Jeffrey Victor on December 22, 2021December 22, 2021 Members of the NJ DECA Community,It is with our deepest sadness and regret that we announce that the in-person elements of our district conferences are being eliminated due to developments in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. As you are no doubt aware, the speed and force of infection rates in the past 7 days have caused us to re-evaluate our ability to host in-person conferences safely and professionally. The reality is that New Jersey is averaging our highest COVID-19 infection rates since the beginning of the pandemic, some school districts have already shifted to virtual learning, and others are preparing for that shift to remote learning in early January. This, coupled with the paramount need to keep our members, advisors, staff, and volunteers safe requires all of us to take a pause in our return to in-person events. This pandemic has reared its head at inopportune times since March of 2020, and this is unfortunately no exception. While this has happened before due to snow and weather, we wanted to provide you this information before your winter break, so everyone can plan accordingly.We applaud the hard work our members and advisors have done in preparation for these events, and the decision to cancel them is among the saddest we have to undertake. The roleplay nights, practices, time spent recruiting, preparing, and studying are not lost on us, and we did not go into this decision lightly or without serious and sustained reflection upon all of your efforts thus far.Therefore, we are announcing that for qualification to the state level, only the test score will be used, and finalists will be announced in early January at a virtual awards session.NJ DECA is still planning for an in-person State Career Development Conference, and we hopefully look forward to seeing all of you in Atlantic City February 28th-March 2nd, when we can once again ASSEMBLE and maximize our momentum in preparation for the International Career Development Conference in April. Until then, please have a safe holiday break, and return to school in January. We can’t wait to announce our winners then! On behalf of the NJ DECA Team,-Dr. Jeff Victor Categories: Announcements