Bernards Twp. Schools Transition To More In-Person Learning

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — The Bernards Township School District will move toward more in-person learning. Because of lower coronavirus activity in the region, Superintendent Nick Markarian outlined a plan last week to phase the district out of the cohort system.

The shift toward more in-person learning will "in many cases reduce social distance to less than 6 feet," Markarian said. "However, school staff will be working together to make the best possible use of available space to maintain as much social distance as possible."

But if the transition to more in-person education creates health issues, the district may return to the cohort system.

The district has returned its youngest students to in-person schooling. Officials outlined the following schedule:

• second-graders return to their daily program Wednesday.
• Grades 3-5 return Monday.
• Grades 6-12 will eliminate the cohort system Monday. Students may come to school Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with Wednesday remaining an all-virtual day.

School days will remain abridged, but the district plans to shift to full-day schooling March 1. The district won't take requests for students to move from virtual to in-person learning until the fourth marking period begins after spring break.

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Officials plan to return to full school days for all in-person students by June, conditions permitting.

State officials reduced Somerset County's coronavirus risk to "moderate" in their weekly activity report. The New Jersey Department of Health measures risk through an area's case rate (new daily cases per 100,000 people), data on COVID-like illnesses, and positivity rate.

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