Red Bank Schools To Go Virtual For One Week After Winter Break

RED BANK, NJ - As a preventive measure following the extended holiday break, students at both Red Bank Regional High School and K-8 Red Bank Borough Schools will follow an all-virtual learning schedule until Jan. 11, district officials said.

In a Dec. 10 update posted online, Red Bank Regional High School District superintendent Louis Moore noted that, following holiday break, all instruction will be shifted to “full remote” from Jan. 4 to Jan. 8 to "ensure we have the time to monitor and respond to a possible uptick in cases."

The school aims to implement voluntary testing available on a weekly basis to all staff and students who are not ill or symptomatic starting Jan. 4.

In his update, Moore also noted that hybrid instruction may resume on Dec. 14 after the high school suspended its in-person classes earlier this month.

“An on-going challenge since September has been to protect everyone’s health and safety while ensuring continuity in our instructional program. With this in mind, I am acutely aware that the recent shifts between “hybrid” and “full remote” have been difficult and I am hopeful that the course of action outlined below will avoid these pivots in the future,” Moore said.

“I want to affirm the high value we place on in-person learning and our commitment to keeping school open as much as possible. However, we will need to shift to full-remote again if we experience school-based transmissions or if the state or county risk index shifts to the “red” or the highest risk category.”

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Red Bank Borough Schools, which serves area students in grades K-8, will be remaining fully virtual until Monday, Jan. 11, 2021. The district has been operating on an all-remote schedule since November.

“Although frustrating and disappointing, we determined this is the right decision for the short-term and the long-term. In assessing the short-term benefits, we believe this will offer continuity of instruction, maximize student attendance, and protect our students and staff for the upcoming holidays,” superintendent Jared J. Rumage wrote in a Dec. 10 message.

An update regarding the return to hybrid learning can be expected the week of Dec. 21, according to Rumage.