Ocean City Officials Respond To Crowded Picture At High School

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Ocean City school administrators admit the first day of school had some issues. a photo published in The Standard shows students crowding in the high-school gymnasium for lunch.

An anonymous student took the photo, which shows ninth- and 10th-grade students close together, according to The Standard. About half the students were outside during the lunch period, The Standard reported.

School administrators sent the following statement to Patch:

"We met with several challenges on our first day of school, like any brand new operations would have in a new school year. We took immediate action after the issues arose. It takes a team to implement and maintain these new regulations. So, going forward, it will take everyone, from the students to the parents to the teachers to understand how important and how serious they need to take these protocols and to follow them."

The Ocean City School District welcomed students back Tuesday with a hybrid model of education, so only a fraction of the student body physically attends school each day. The rest learn remotely.

The district's plan called for continuance of social distancing during lunch periods. Surfaces get cleaned and disinfected before and after meals, and students are asked to wash their hands before and after each meal.

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

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