Gloucester Twp.'s High Schools Expand To 5-Day In-Person Learning

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Gloucester Township high school students will soon return to the classroom five days a week, school officials announced on Friday.

Students at Highland, Timber Creek and Triton regional high schools will return to the classroom for five half-days of in-person learning effective March 29, officials said in a letter to the school community. The full-remote model will remain an option.

“I am not in support of bringing students back, at this time, for full school days,” Black Horse Pike Regional Superintendent of Schools Brian Repici said. “There are just too many barriers, obstacles, and risks associated with doing so. Additionally, there are staffing needs we may not be able to meet with regards to bringing students back full days.”

In order to bring the students back for half-days, the cohorts will be combined, Repici said. The district is also ordering additional safety supplies, including air purification systems and desk barriers.

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The district warned parents that by combining cohorts, maintaining the recommended 6 feet of social distancing may not be possible in all classrooms. In some cases, it may be 4 or 5 feet.

“Six feet of social distancing between students and staff, as guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends, must be the standard, though,” Repici said.

Rooms were reconfigured at the beginning of the school year, and may have to be readjusted based on the number of students returning to school, Repici said. However, the enhanced sanitizing and cleaning of classrooms will continue.

Each school day will run from 7:25 a.m. until 11:45 a.m. for in-person instruction. Students will then go home for lunch, and the afternoons will be set aside for asynchronous work, teacher office hours, planning, and academic extra help. The day ends at 2:40 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 2:10 p.m. on Friday.

In order to know how many students the district can expect to make the proper preparations, officials said parents must notify the vice principal at their school of whether their student will be attending in-person by March 24.

School officials also urged residents to continue getting tested for the coronavirus when they show symptoms or someone in the family is exposed to someone who has tested positive.

Students will also be expected to wear a mask, follow social distancing guidelines when possible, practice good hygiene and report any illnesses to the nurse immediately.

The district will also continue to follow its contact tracing policy when students test positive for the virus.

The announcement was made after the results of a survey the school sent out in which 1,050 people responded. About 60 percent of respondents said their children are participating in the hybrid learning model and would continue to do so if the number of in-person days increased, officials said. Read more here: Black Horse Pike Schools Get Results Of In-Person Learning Survey

The options in the survey included a return to the classroom five full days a week; four half days; five half days; and four full days. In the four-day options, Wednesday would remain a full-remote learning day. Read more here: Black Horse Pike Schools Explore More In-Person Learning Options

That survey came 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