Cinnaminson Schools Expanding To 5 Days In-Person Learning

CINNAMINSON, NJ — Cinnaminson students at all grade levels will soon be able to return to school five days a week amid the coronavirus pandemic, school officials said Friday afternoon.

“As parents are aware, this week we welcomed back members of the Cinnaminson High School Class of 2021,” Cinnaminson Superintendent of Schools Stephen Cappello said in a letter to the community. “Next week, our kindergarten students will have the option to attend five days utilizing space at our Memorial School.”

By April 19, all students will be able to be back in school, he said. To bring students back in-person, the districts will combine cohorts. Students will also be able to stay in the 100 percent remote learning environment.

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“On March 29th, the next wave of students will be invited to return five days a week. This group will include first and second grade students from New Albany School, third grade students from Eleanor Rush School, sixth grade students from the middle school, and 11th grade students from the high school,” Cappello said. “On April 19th, kindergarten students will return to New Albany, fourth and fifth grade students will return to Rush, seventh and eighth grade students to the middle school, and ninth and tenth grade students to the high school.”

The district will continue to follow social distancing guidelines to the best of its ability, Cappello said. Principals may contact families about efforts to rebalance class sizes, but those will be extremely limited cases, Cappello said.

Principals will be contacting all parents to re-commit to in-person or at-home learning. The district will continue to follow these measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus:

• Mask mandate for all students and staff;
• HEPA filtration in rooms with sub Merv-13 filtering;
• Eating/learning outside where possible and practical;
• Barrier partitions in select classrooms at New Albany School;
• Opening windows whenever possible;
• Flexible learning space where distancing cannot be maximized;
• Upgrades to our HVAC system to promote better air flow/filtration; and
• Continued screenings, temperature checks, handwashing, and access to hand sanitizer.

The return comes as the number of new coronavirus cases is on the decline and vaccinations are increasing. Educators were recently given priority when it comes to being vaccinated, and Gov. Phil Murphy has said New Jersey schools should be reopening. Read more here: Gov. Murphy: NJ Schools Should Move To Reopen 'Now' Amid COVID-19

“Thank you for your continued patience, support, and partnership as our district transitions back to the learning communities that we all cherish,” Cappello said. “We are excited to continue down this path to welcome all of our students back. I offer my best wishes for continued good health and wellness.”