Freehold Regional HS District To Go Virtual After Winter Break

HOWELL, NJ - Freehold Regional High School District To Go Remote Following Winter Recess, district officials announced Monday.

In a Dec. 7 letter to district families, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Charles B. Sampson addressed the impending closure from Jan. 4 through Jan. 8, 2021, citing the rising number of cases in the region:

“As you may be aware, over the past month we have had to temporarily close five of our six schools due to COVID-19 cases in consultation with our local departments of health,” Sampson wrote.

“Now as the holiday season is upon us, we are seeing an increase of external COVID-19 cases spreading in the wider community. While we have implemented every safety measure available to us and have had no issues with in-school transmission, we are not immune to the rising number of cases in the western Monmouth County area.”

As of Dec. 7, Colts Neck High School, Manalapan High School and Marlboro High School are open for hybrid learning, with Freehold High School, Freehold Township High School and Howell High School operating on a remote basis.

Monmouth County is located in a designated "high risk" zone, according to the COVID Regional Risk Assessment.

During the full-time remote learning period, all extracurricular activities and athletics are cancelled. Hybrid learning in the district is slated to resume on Monday, Jan. 11.

“I realize how challenging this year has been for our students and families and ask for your continued support as we navigate this fluid circumstance,” Sampson continued. “We know that the safety protocols we have implemented are effective and will allow us to return to in-person learning as soon as possible.”

Nearby school districts in Holmdel and Hazlet are both operating remotely, with the latter district scheduled to continue remote learning until 2021. Holmdel schools are virtual-only until at least Dec. 11.

The Freehold Borough School District, which serves K-8 students in Freehold Borough, has operated remotely since the school year began. It is similarly on track to stay remote through the end of 2020. Read more: Freehold Boro Students Won't See In-Person Classes Until 2021