Lacey Schools Look To Combine Remote, In-Person Learning

LACEY, NJ — The Lacey Township School District will likely teach students through a combination of in-person and remote learning this fall. Administrators will send another family survey Tuesday to help them determine more details for the school year, Superintendent Dr. Vanessa Clark said at Monday's school board meeting.

The district will look toward implementing a "hybrid A-B cohort model" for the fall, Clark said. The model would place most students in school two or three days each week.

Half of students would attend school Monday and Wednesday, while the other half would physically go to class Tuesdays and Thursdays. Each cohort would alternate on Friday attendance.

When students aren't physically in school, they'll remotely work on assignments created by teachers that "support and correlate the instruction that was received the day before," Clark said.

Officials are examining how their plan would affect transportation. The district would split each cohort alphabetically by last name — they're currently looking at last names A-L in one group and M-Z in the other.

The district created five subcommittees to help plan the reopening. Committees will include board members, nurses, administrators, teachers, child study team members and guidance counselors, Clark said. Parents and older students will also get invited to participate.

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But the plan will ultimately depend on state guidelines, which sometimes change. Governor Phil Murphy announced Monday that the state will let students learn completely remotely. Read more: NJ To Offer Remote-Learning Option For Schools Amid Coronavirus

Lacey officials originally wanted to conduct virtual parent and staff forums late this week or early next week. But they may need to delay the forums because the state expects to release further guidance on its Monday announcement later this week.

"I can’t stress enough how challenging it has been, because the information seems to change on a daily basis," Clark said.

A couple parents at Monday's meeting asked about mask requirements. Students must wear face masks while traveling to and from school with their peers, along with settings where they can't socially distance.

But state guidance won't require them to wear masks in settings where they can maintain distance, Clark says.

"We’re still putting our plan together, but the masks are going to be mandatory to and from school and when students are not with their cohort, with their teacher," Clark said. "We are going to minimize how much students are moving in the buildings."

Officials still have plenty of details to determine. That includes deciding whether students will need to get tested before returning to in-person classes, which is "something we’re considering but haven’t decided on yet," Clark said.

Staff will check students' temperatures before they enter the building each day.

Murphy has issued a list of rules and guidelines for reopening schools this fall amid the coronavirus outbreak. He's said that, right now, he favors going back to school, but he could "flip the switch" if there is an uptick in cases. Read more: Gov. Murphy Issues NJ School Reopening Rules Amid Coronavirus

Patch sent a non-scientific poll to its New Jersey readers on school reopenings. Of the nearly 27,000 responses, 54.7 percent said it's "too soon" to return students for in-person learning this fall. Nearly 34 percent had the opposing opinion, saying students should return.

Those who responded were split on this question: Will you send your own children back to school?

Of the nearly 27,000 responses, 34.8 percent suggested they plan to send their children back to school, but it would depend on how coronavirus cases are trending in New Jersey. Nearly 34 percent said they won't send their children back no matter what, while nearly 32 percent said they will. Read more: Should NJ Schools Reopen? Here's What Nearly 27K Residents Think

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