Lacey Schools To Begin Year All-Remote, But Not For Long

LACEY, NJ — The Lacey Township School District will begin the school year with remote learning only. But it won't be for long, according to the updated plan Superintendent Dr. Vanessa P. Clark announced Tuesday.

Students will begin learning Sept. 8 through the virtual model. The district will begin its hybrid model for Cohorts A and B on Sept. 21 for all students who chose this education model.

Here's the schedule:

• Sept. 1-3: all faculty and staff will engage in professional development.
• Sept. 8: remote learning begins for all students.
• Sept. 14: in-person schooling begins for students who require specific specialized programming and services — Clark says more details are forthcoming.
• Sept. 21: the hybrid learning model begins for all students who chose it.

Clark announced last month that the school district would pursue a hybrid model. Read more: Lacey Schools Look To Combine Remote, In-Person Learning

Since then, state officials have changed guidelines and offered school districts the option to begin the year all-remote.

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The New Jersey Department of Health offered guidelines Thursday for keeping schools open in the fall. The guidelines lists scenarios in which the DOH would recommend school closures, including identification of two or more cases within 14 days across multiple classrooms. Read more: Here's How The Coronavirus Could Close Any NJ School

Lacey delayed its start date for remote learning "to ensure we meet and exceed the Governor’s minimum expectations for in-person instruction," Clark said in a letter.

Read Clark's letter here.

The school district will hold a virtual special board meeting at 6 p.m. Thursday in which officials will discuss the details of hybrid and remote instruction. Those who wish to participate in the public-comment portion must register via Zoom Version 5.2 or later. Here are instructions for registration.

The Ocean County Health Department has reported 340 total coronavirus cases and 11 deaths in Lacey as of Wednesday morning.

Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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