Cherry Hill Schools Outline Plan For Safe Reopening

CHERRY HILL, NJ — The Cherry Hill Public School District has outlined its plans for a Safe Return To School ahead of a full reopening of all New Jersey schools this fall.

Cherry Hill will require all students and staff to wear face coverings unless doing so poses a risk to the health of the mask wearer. They will be required to wear face coverings at all times, unless they are in a room by themselves.

Other guidelines in which masks can be removed include being outside in extreme heat, exercising, eating or drinking or if they are engaged in high intensity aerobic or anaerobic activity.

The district defines extreme heat as a temperature or heat index above 79 degrees. Since most of the district’s classrooms are air-conditioned, the most recent exception for masks in extreme heat indoors does not apply to most of the schools’ indoor spaces.

In classrooms and cafeterias, students will continue to follow the most updated social distancing guidelines. Furniture and seating will be adjusted as needed.

On school buses, social distancing will be encouraged as much as possible. Windows will be opened to improve ventilation. Seats will be assigned for students in preschool through eighth grade, with members of the same household always assigned to sit together.

Upon entering school, students and staff will be required to wash their hands. Handwashing and sanitizing will occur at regular intervals.

Before each day of school, a parent/guardian will conduct a health screening for their child, and submit the results to the district.

Any positive cases of the coronavirus for a student or a staff member will immediately be reported to the school nurse, who will then notify the Camden County Department of Health and will follow the direct guidance from the Department of Health regarding next steps, including contact tracing.

The district has already taken steps to prevent the virus from becoming a problem in schools for the 2021-22 academic year.

The Human Resources Office worked with Rite Aid and the Camden County Department of Health to schedule staff members for their vaccinations. These vaccinations happened at local Rite Aids and at the Camden County COVID-19 Vaccination Center in Gloucester Township.

Students 16 years of age and older were given the opportunity to be bused from the two high schools to the Burlington County mega-site at the Moorestown Mall to be vaccinated.

Middle school students older than 12 had the chance to participate in clinics at Carusi Middle School on May 26 and June 16, and at Beck Middle School on May 28 and June 18.

The Human Resources Department will continue efforts to provide available opportunities for staff and students to be vaccinated during the 2021-22 academic year. The full plan can be seen on the district website.

In May, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that all districts will return to full in-person instruction with no remote option for the 2021-22 academic year. The district received guidance from the state on May 24. The plan is a template all districts must use, submit and have approved by the local board of education and the NJDOE. Read more here: NJ Lifts COVID Travel Advisory, Orders In-Person School Next Year