Cranford Schools To Go Remote After Winter Break

CRANFORD, NJ — Just like other area school districts, Cranford has announced that the schools will go remote after winter break, although just for one week. Schools will (tentatively) resume hybrid instruction on Jan. 11.

Superintendent Scott Rubin noted that holiday coronavirus increases have partly informed the decision.

Cranford has continually announced cases in the school community while schools were remote, showing that transmission is occurring outside of school settings.

Rubin wrote on Friday, "As was evidenced during the Thanksgiving holiday, there is great concern of a sharp increase in the level of travel and gatherings over the winter holiday season, resulting in greater opportunity for transmission of the virus throughout our community and a subsequent need for quarantining."

While fatalities were declining in New Jersey from June through October, they have been rising throughout autumn. From this past Monday to Tuesday, the state of New Jersey reported 97 new fatalities, among the highest daily tolls since July. All 21 New Jersey counties, including Union County, are now considered "high risk" for transmission.

Here is the full letter:

"I hope this correspondence finds you and your family doing well. The purpose of this letter is to inform you that the District will transition to full remote learning for one week after the Winter Break (December 24 - January 3 ), starting Monday, January 4, through Friday, January 8. On Monday, January 11, the District plans to return to our current system of hybrid in-person instruction, assuming the circumstances at that time support a return.

As was evidenced during the Thanksgiving holiday, there is great concern of a sharp increase in the level of travel and gatherings over the winter holiday season, resulting in greater opportunity for transmission of the virus throughout our community and a subsequent need for quarantining. Therefore, the Township Health Department has guided the District to transition to remote instruction for one week following the Winter Break, providing a 10 day period between New Year’s and a return to in-person instruction on January 11. We are hopeful that this temporary pause will allow the District to resume in-person education with less interruption in the ensuing weeks.

During the winter break, I ask that you continue to notify the District of positive COVID-19 test results. You can report this information here: Cranford Public Schools Covid-19 Reporting Form. It was determined in partnership with all of the school Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA’s), that the District will continue to send out COVID-19 notifications throughout the break.

Whether schools can resume the hybrid in-person model in a sustainable way is partly dependent on the choices we all make as a community when we are away from school. I certainly understand and appreciate the desire for family and friends to want to get together over winter break, especially given the length of the pandemic. However, we must do so safely, responsibly, and in accordance with current guidelines. As health officials have stated, please socialize outside, wear a mask and stay six feet apart. Adherence to these practices will increase our chances of being able to continue with hybrid in-person instruction.

Again, I cannot thank you enough for your partnership! Your patience, flexibility and support truly exemplify the qualities that make Cranford such a special place. We will only get through this together!"

New Jersey trends

New Jersey officials have said we are now in the second wave of the virus.

At the height of the crisis in New Jersey, 460 people died from the virus in 24 hours on April 30. (READ MORE: 'I Cannot Get Air': When Local Woman Begged For Coronavirus Test.) The lowest daily death rate was Sept. 8, when the state announced two new deaths confirmed in 24 hours. But cases and deaths are on the rise again.

More than 300,000 Americans and 16,000 people in New Jersey have died from the virus so far.

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