Morris School District Retires Its COVID-19 Update Center

MORRISTOWN, NJ — Although the pandemic hasn't ended, the Morris School District showed a sign of optimism. Officials retired the COVID-19 update center Thursday.

The COVID-19 update center provided news throughout the school year of closures, openings, steps forward and steps back. Superintendent Mackey Pendergrast provided one last bulletin Thursday.

Among the announcements, Pendergrast said that Morris County has now entered the "green" zone, indicating low coronavirus risk, according to New Jersey's weekly report. The district now only has one positive case after 10 days of no cases.

"Thank you to all of our families and staff for carefully following guidelines, conducting daily screenings, and partnering with us throughout the pandemic to help keep our district community safe," officials said.

The Morris School District expects guidance from the Governor's Office on masks and social distancing for the new school year sometime in August. The district will share the information once it receives it, and principals will communicate info on preparation and initiatives for next school year.

Throughout the year, many parents pushed for the Morris School District to return to full-day, in-person schooling. Since September, the district's elementary schools opened five days per week but with partial days.

The district returned all students to five-day, in-person schooling in the spring. But logistical issues regarding lunch prevented them from welcoming students back to full days, based off guidance from health officials.

Morris schools could have potentially offered full days if vaccinations became more widely available earlier, according to a district spokesperson.

"It certainly would have been a 'game changer' back in September but ... it has little impact on our plans," Dr. Jennifer van Frank told Patch last month. "Our students, like most schools in Morris County, are attending five days a week." Read more: Morris School Cases Lowering, But Full-Day Coming Next Year

New Jersey will remove the option of remote learning for the 2021-22 school year. But Gov. Phil Murphy expects younger students will need to remain masked because of current limitations to vaccine eligibility. But he acknowledged much could change by September. Read more: Masks In NJ Schools: Here's Who May Be Wearing Them In The Fall

Currently, children 12 and older are eligible for Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine. But only adults can get the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson shots.

State Assembly members in the 25th District, which represents Morristown, criticized Murphy for the statement.

"I think the governor is dreaming if he plans to have the unilateral authority to mask our children in schools this fall," said Assemblyman Brian Bergen. Read more: NJ School Mask Mandate A 'Joke,' Republican Critics Say

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