Freehold Boro K-8 Students To Return In-Person By March 1

FREEHOLD, NJ - Freehold Borough students in grades K-8 are set to return to classrooms next month after nearly one year of entirely virtual instruction.

The Freehold Borough Board of Education announced a reopening date of March 1 at its last meeting. The school district, which serves around 1,600 students, previously announced intent to reopen by Dec. 14. That decision was reversed in early December, with the district citing an increase in the area's community virus spread and the borough's designation as a high risk category for the virus by the COVID Regional Risk Assessment.

“At the Board of Education meeting held last night, the Board approved returning to in-school hybrid instruction using the Level 6/80% plan and designating Monday, March 1, 2021 as the transition date,” Superintendent of Schools Rocco Tomazic wrote in a Feb. 2 letter to district parents. “Correspondence is being prepared and translated now to be mailed home outlining this same information, along with more details.”

Freehold Boro students will be returning to in-school hybrid learning on Monday, March 1st. Plan details and revised schedules will be forthcoming to parents. ⁦@FISLions⁩ ⁦@PAEeagles⁩ ⁦@FLC_ElemSchool⁩ pic.twitter.com/huGDRkhqZ7
— Rocco Tomazic (@FBPSsup) February 2, 2021

Freehold Borough schools were last opened to the general education population in March 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic forced school districts to transition to all-virtual learning. While nearby districts reopened classrooms to at least several hours per week to cohorts of students, Freehold Borough has remained entirely virtual save for around 40 special education learners that returned to classrooms briefly in November.

District administrators hoped to start the 2020-21 school year with a hybrid plan of in-person and remote learning, although two significant issues proved major setbacks, according to Tomazic: the lack of physical barriers between students to limit the possible transmission of the virus and the HVAC filtration systems. Both issues have since been addressed to meet the state’s standards.

Teens at Freehold High School returned to in-person classes in October. Read more: Freehold Regional High School District Sets In-Person Return Date

The district will implement a hybrid schedule upon reopening, one which will incorporate four half days of in-person instruction and one day of virtual learning each week.. Parents can opt to continue the all-virtual learning or the hybrid schedule.

According to an Asbury Park Press report, around 43 percent of parents plan to keep students home after March 1.

Parents of in-school learners will need to sign a waiver acknowledging the health procedures on when to keep a student home because of sickness or quarantine. Students returning to in-school hybrid learning will also be required to follow the district's uniform dress standards.

Related art courses such as gym, art, music, language, health and technology will be reserved for remote instruction days while core classes such as English, math, science and social studies will be taught in person. Students will receive a new schedule outlining their virtual related arts day.

The district will be setting up required special education busing, as well as the YMCA before/after care at Freehold Learning Center. Breakfast will be offered during school hours, with lunch to be served as a “grab and go” option.

Read more:

• Freehold Boro Schools Will Begin School Year Remotely
• Freehold Boro Classes Expected To Return To In-Person By December
• Freehold Boro Students Won't See In-Person Classes Until 2021