Chatham Students Get Back To In-Person Classes

CHATHAM, NJ — Superintendent Michael LaSusa reported at the School Districts of the Chathams Board of Education meeting on Monday night that cohorts that were in place within the district because of the COVID-19 pandemic, are now a thing of the past.

“All of the cohorts in all of the schools have been collapsed at this point,” LaSusa commented.

The change took effect as well on Monday, LaSusa said, with all students in school in person, with more than a 90% attendance rate in all schools.

“The feedback from the schools has been terrific and I’m referring particularly to the Middle School and the High School, which is where students had been split into cohorts, in the beginning of the year,” LaSusa added.

LaSusa said teachers “prefer overall” to have in-person class sessions with students, rather than virtual school.

LaSusa said there have been no new COVID cases within the district since the process began with bringing students back to the school buildings, with the last reported coronavirus case districtwide reported on May 5.

He called it “the longest period we’ve gone this school year without a case reported to us," and that parents continue to report on a volunteer basis to the district if their children have been vaccinated.

In the 2021-2022 school year, LaSusa reminded those attending the board meeting that there will be no virtual school, with exceptions only if students “have some significant type of medical issue that would qualify them for home instruction.”

Click the video below to watch the full Chatham Board of Education Meeting.

Questions or comments about this story? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.