Amid Staff Shortage, Freehold HS District Will Begin Remotely

FREEHOLD, NJ – Contrary to reopening measures unveiled just two weeks ago, the Freehold Regional High School District has decided to switch course and conduct all instruction for the upcoming school year remotely.

According to the district website, the number of school district employee requests to leave this fall under the The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) has “increased exponentially”, with the district facing a staffing challenge as a result.

The legislation provides employees with paid sick leave or expanded family and medical leave for pandemic-related reasons.

“As school districts across Monmouth County and New Jersey move to start their school year in full remote, these decisions have heavily impacted our own staff members and their families who reside in those towns,” Superintendent Dr. Charles Sampson wrote in a letter addressed to district families on Wednesday. “Over the past few weeks, with the shift to remote learning in neighboring communities, many of our employees have faced unanticipated and unexpected childcare concerns placing a strain on our timelines to staff our own buildings.”

Sampson also mentioned at a recent board of education meeting that roughly 250 staff members would be requesting leave or accommodations, district spokeswoman Rebecca Policastro confirmed to Patch.

“Unfortunately, a significant number of employee workplace accommodations and leave requests will not allow us to adequately staff our buildings in a manner that provides for effective teaching and learning to occur in our Hybrid Schedule,” wrote the superintendent. “This means the Freehold Regional High School District will begin our school year on September 10, 2020 using the All Students Remote Schedule.”

Although the school district will not begin the year under the previously proposed hybrid model, officials expect staffing requirements to be met for the transition to a hybrid schedule by Oct. 19.

“School districts throughout the state are facing this same staffing issue, as the decisions being made in Trenton are placing communities and all of their citizens in a difficult position. The source of the issue lies with the haphazard approach to reopening schools from state officials,” wrote Sampson.

Under the all-remote plan, students will attend scheduled classes synchronously on a partial-day bell schedule. Instruction will be provided via Google Meet and Google Classroom, with students required to have their cameras on and microphones muted. Teachers and students will remain live on the Google Meet for the duration of the 50-minute class period.

The district attendance policy will be in effect and the FRHSD Grading System and Genesis will be used to measure and communicate student progress and to determine marking period and final grades, according to the superintendent.

“The majority of our parents wished for students to return to our buildings and we worked diligently to ensure they could in the safest way possible. Unfortunately, the statewide piecemeal approach for the reopening of schools has put many school districts in this situation,” Sampson wrote.

“We all long for the day when life will return to normal and the typical high school experience can once again be had by our students. Everyone at the Freehold Regional High School District wants to see our students succeed. Building Principals will be sending additional communications. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your school administration if your child needs additional support or assistance.”

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