Freehold Regional HS District Releases Reopening Plan For Fall

FREEHOLD, NJ – Freehold Regional High School District is the latest New Jersey school district to release its school reopening plan this week, with its Aug. 11 release offering several options for students to return to instruction amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Freehold Regional High School District includes six secondary schools serving eight municipalities: Freehold Township High School, Freehold Borough High School, Colts Neck High School, Howell High School, Manalapan High School and Marlboro High School. While FRHSD will be offering an in-person hybrid cohort model for students, students wishing to begin the school year in a strictly virtual setting will still be able to do so.

“As we prepare to open for the 2020-2021 school year, we do so understanding there are varied opinions about how to most effectively educate our children under these conditions,” Superintendent Charles Sampson wrote in a virtual message to district parents.

For students opting for the in-person cohort option, those with last names that begin with A through L will attend class in person on Mondays and Tuesdays and alternate Wednesdays. These students will also participate in virtual learning on Thursdays and Fridays.

Students with last names that begin with M through Z will participate in in-person instruction on Thursdays and Fridays, with virtual learning on Mondays and Tuesdays.

District parents have until Aug. 18 to opt for the all-remote learning or the hybrid plan (click here for opt-in instructions).

“While it is not what we hoped for or could have ever imagined, we will begin the 2020-2021 school year in an unprecedented style. We will follow a hybrid schedule to limit the capacity in our buildings,” wrote Sampson. “This hybrid structure will blend face-to-face instruction with synchronous remote learning from home. We will start the school year following a partial-day schedule due to social distancing guidelines and limitations pertaining to lunch service.”

Students who select the full-time remote choice learning can expect to attend scheduled classes every day on a partial day bell schedule via Google Meet and Google Classroom. FRHSD pupils will be able to meet with teachers remotely during designated times within the regularly scheduled school day and still be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities and athletics.

During the school year, a request to transition to the full-time virtual option must be submitted to the principal or designee at least five calendar days before a student is eligible to participate in remote-only learning.

Face Masks

All students and staff will be required to wear a cloth face covering at all times. T-shirts and bandanas will not suffice as acceptable face coverings. All coverings must cover the mouth and nose and fit properly. Face coverings will be worn for the duration of the school day, including buses, entering and exiting schools, in hallways and inside classrooms. Face covering breaks will be built into the schedule.

Facility Cleaning

Health and safety protocols, as well as sanitizing procedures, have been established in accordance with CDC guidance and NJDOH guidance. In addition to sanitization procedures throughout the day and afterschool, classrooms and offices will be equipped with hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes and gloves. Social distancing will be followed “to the maximum extent practicable”. Signage demonstrating six-foot distancing will be displayed throughout school buildings. Classroom furniture and desks will be structured so that students can be spaced apart appropriately.

Students and staff will be expected to bring their own face masks to school. In the event that a face covering breaks, is forgotten or went missing, a temporary mask will be provided.

Bathrooms will be monitored to ensure limited capacity and social distancing.

At the beginning of each class, students will be expected to sanitize their hands and use a sanitizing wipe for desks/work spaces.

CDC/EPA compliant cleaning and disinfecting products have been acquired by the district, per the plan. Building systems have been updated to produce enhanced air filtration and school bathrooms have been converted to include touchless fixtures. Water fountains have also been disabled or converted to touchless bottle fill stations.

Food

Lunch will not be served in schools, but students will have the option to purchase grab-and-go meals before departure. Food distribution will continue for families that qualify for free and reduced meals.

Health Protocols/Testing

Prior to sending students to school, parents will be required to complete a daily Self Evaluation Checklist in the Genesis Parent Portal. Students will be required to participate in a temperature check screening prior to entering any school buildings. Arrival and dismissal will be staggered to avoid overcrowding, per the plan.

Anyone who registers a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher or presents with symptoms of COVID 19 will be directed to the isolation area in the nurse’s office for further evaluation.

Per CDC guidelines, students who test positive for COVID-19 will not be permitted to return to school for a minimum of 10 calendar days since symptoms first appeared and at least 24 hours with no fever without fever-reducing medication and symptoms have improved. In addition, students who have had close contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19 will not be permitted into school for a minimum of 14 calendar days, as per CDC guidelines. Students who cannot return to school due to quarantine or medical restrictions will participate in virtual instruction.

Students who do not comply with health and safety protocols will be addressed on a “case-by-case” basis, which may include counselor intervention, disciplinary measures or a transition to full-time virtual learning.

Transportation

The hybrid schedule, alongside an anticipated number of students opting for virtual-only learning, will reduce the daily capacity of school buses. Hand sanitizer will be provided onboard.

While siblings are permitted to sit together, only one student is otherwise allowed per seat (two students per row). The first row of seats will remain vacant.

District bus drivers shall wear a face covering and shield during loading and unloading, but will not wear face coverings or shields while driving the bus.

Buses will be cleaned after morning routes and after dismissal.

Special Services

Those in self-contained special education, displaced and homeless students and English Language Learners (ELL) will attend in-person classes five days a week.

“Our plan, 'Charting the Course to Reopening Schools,' (En Español) is focused on the social-emotional and physical health and safety of our students and staff,” wrote Sampson. “While it is not what we hoped for or could have ever imagined, we will begin the 2020-2021 school year in an unprecedented style … our Restart and Recovery Plan will be modified as health circumstances, guidance, and conditions shift within our communities, the state and nation.”

Click here to access the FRHSD’s Frequently Asked Questions document regarding reopening.

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