Central Reg's Rumored Oct. 18 Reopening 'Fake News': Officials

BERKELEY, NJ — Rumors have circulated that the Central Regional School District will but reopen Oct. 18. But Superintendent Dr. Triantafillos Parlapanides said that's "fake news."

Parlapanides dispelled the rumors Friday in a Facebook post on the school district's page.

The Central Regional and Berkeley school districts have been coordinating on the possibility of expanding in-person attendance. Officials from both districts will meet next week to formalize a plan, according to Berkeley Superintendent Dr. James Roselli.

Both districts currently practice a hybrid model. Central Regional students with last names beginning with letters A-L attend in-person classes Mondays and Tuesdays. Students with last names M-Z go to school Tuesdays and Fridays. All students learn remotely Wednesdays. The Berkeley district split students up into similar cohorts and schedules.

State officials have reported only one outbreak in Ocean County schools as of Monday but didn't clarify where it occurred. "Outbreaks" indicate two or more laboratory-confirmed cases among students or staff within a 14-day period. They must be epidemiologically linked in the school setting, not share a household and not identify as close contacts of each other in another setting.

But Ocean County has seen a significant increase in cases recently, including 190 of the state's 796 new cases reported Friday.

Governor Phil Murphy reported Friday that the statewide positivity rate is 2.47 percent, while Ocean County's is 14.85 percent.

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