Red Bank Regional Goes Virtual Amid 22 Pupils, Staff With COVID

RED BANK, NJ - Despite a previous announcement to return to in-person classes this week, students at Red Bank Regional High School are in for another schedule shift starting Thursday.

In an online message posted to the district website on Wednesday, superintendent Louis Moore announced that approximately the student population of around 1,200 will be following an all-virtual model of learning amid rising COVD-19 cases and high levels of absenteeism.

“Unfortunately the rate of transmission of COVID-19 in our area continues to be at a high level. It was recently reported that in November almost 400 COVID-19 cases were reported in Little Silver, Red Bank, and Shrewsbury. This is a sharp increase from October when there were 79 cases,” Moore wrote Wednesday.

“Even though we have avoided school-based infections, the latest data shows that the increased rate of transmission has impacted our school. We have determined that since November 25 at least 22 staff members and students have tested positive for the virus and 29 have been added to the quarantine list and are awaiting test results. It seems clear that this number will continue to grow, impacting both staff and students.”

Moore previously cited staffing issues and community spread as two other areas of concern in a Nov. 30 update.

In his remarks, Moore also noted that less than 240 of the 653 students in cohort two were in attendance on Dec. 1. The superintendent is poised to give an update on Thursday, Dec. 10, with the earliest in-person return date set at Dec. 14.

“Under these circumstances, I have determined that it is best to shift course and to suspend in-person instruction at least until Friday, December 11,” Moore continued.

“I realize this will be a disappointment to many families, students, and staff but I believe it best both in terms of providing consistency in our instructional program and ensuring everyone’s well-being, both emotionally and physically.”