Cherry Hill Schools Sets Sights On 4-Day In-Person Instruction

CHERRY HILL, NJ — The Cherry Hill Public School District has designated March 9 as the tentative date for all hybrid learners at all grade levels to return to in-person learning four days a week, the district announced on Friday.

Beginning March 9, from Tuesday-Friday, elementary and middle school hybrid learners will follow their current hours for in-school learning on Tuesday through Friday, according to the district.

For elementary students, that is 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.. For middle school students, it’s 8 a.m. to 12:16 p.m.

The high school schedule will be extended from 9:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to allow for a 20-minute snack break. Snack will be allowed at all grade levels in school buildings, but lunch will not be served. Mondays will remain all-remote learning days at all grade levels.

“Bringing all hybrid learners into our buildings four days per week may mean that in some classrooms, we may be unable to keep students 6 feet apart at all times,” the district said in a letter to the community. “Beginning Monday, February 22, we will require parents to complete a survey for each child in the Genesis portal, indicating whether the parents will commit to sending their child to school four days per week beginning March 9, 2021, or commit to having them on full virtual instruction. The survey will be open from Monday, February 22, 2021, through Saturday, February 27, 2021.”

School committees will meet next week to discuss further details, and the district said it will confirm its plans for a return to school by March 3.

Cherry Hill schools closed with the rest of the state last March when the coronavirus pandemic led to a state shutdown. The closure of the schools, and the shutdown overall, wasn't expected to last through the end of the 2019-20 school year. However, schools never reopened last year, and the majority of school districts - 446, according to nj.com - are engaged in hybrid learning. Another 86 are opened for full in-person instruction.

Even for schools that are open, there are certain health benchmarks that have necessitated closures due to spread. But last month, the New Jersey Department of Health issued modified rules and guidelines that would ultimately make it easier for schools to stay open in spite of cases and outbreaks.

The change came after teachers and parents expressed concerns that the state's rules are too restrictive given that very few of the state's outbreaks have originated in schools. Read more here: NJ Loosens COVID-19 Rules and Guidance For Schools