TOMS RIVER – The school district, which shut down the day before Thanksgiving, will re-open on December 7 to hybrid instruction. Originally, the re-opening date was December 14.
The change came about after analyzing other COVID-related quarantines and looking at district-wide staffing, Superintendent David Healy said in a message to parents.
“The COVID-19 Activity Level Report currently lists our area as High Risk,” he said. (This report is generated by the New Jersey State Health Department.) Going all-remote was intended to slow the spread because case counts were going up. However, if numbers continue to rise in the “Central East” area that the district is in, then it would be prudent to go all remote again.
“We know that one size does not fit all, especially when we consider our school district’s size and complexity,” he said. “Please, therefore, be aware of the possibility that a particular school or grade level may need to move to remote instruction due to the transmission of COVID-19 within a building or class. As always, this decision will be made in conjunction with the local health department and our district medical team.”
Schools had been hybrid on Monday, November 23. Students had a mix of virtual and in-person education. The robocall, emails, and other messages about closing schools on November 24 were sent out on November 23.
The plan was to reopen for hybrid learning on Monday, December 14.
His message before Thanksgiving stated that the closure was not because of any failure on behalf of the district, but because the region is seeing an increase in cases.
According to data from the Ocean County Health Department, Toms River had several days in the last few weeks where there were 30 or more new cases a day.
Parents were urged to continue to notify building principals of any positive cases to protect the safety of other students and staff.
The district already had plans in place to go virtual should the COVID numbers continue to rise, the superintendent said.
Mental Health
The coronavirus – and the chaos it has caused – has recked havoc on the emotional and mental health of students and families.
A Toms River Regional Schools Mental Health Taskforce composed of staff, district and community mental health professionals, administrators and students will gather information about what the school community needs to navigate this time. Then, they will work to connect people in need with resources that can help.
This is in addition to the curriculum that has been integrated into this year’s regular lessons to help students deal with added pressures. These curriculum additions came from the district’s Mental Health and Resiliency and Social and Emotional Learning Committees.
“Closing schools is never an easy decision, and it is our firm belief that our students need the academic and social-emotional support in-person learning provides. We are therefore happy to reopen earlier than planned, but do so with extreme care and caution. Rest assured we are constantly evaluating the situation and will continue to consult with local and state health officials on the ever-changing information and data related to COVID-19 to ensure the safety of nearly 17,000 individuals who attend and work for our school district. To this end, we have and will continue to put the safety and well-being of our students and staff first,” he said.
