Toms River Schools To Expand In-Person Learning To 4 Days

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Regional School District is preparing to shift to four half-days of in-person instruction in the district, starting with its elementary schools on March 1.

Calling it “probably the worst-kept secret,” Interim Superintendent Thomas Gialanella said the plan to expand in-person instruction is the next step toward the eventual goal of getting all students back in school full time, ideally by the end of the school year in June.

“We weren’t trying to keep it a secret,” he said, noting district administrators were getting input from the community, both student families and the district’s staff, in developing the plan for a wider return to school in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

A letter with full details about the plan is scheduled to be sent to parents and staff on Thursday. Parents will have until Tuesday to decide whether they want their child or children to have the four days in school or have fully remote instruction, and there will be a provision for parents who decide later that they want to switch.

The announcement comes as parents around the state are increasingly clamoring for a return to in-person instruction. Parents have filed a lawsuit against the school district in Scotch Plains-Fanwood, and in Montclair, the district is suing the teachers union, over issues that are continuing to keep those districts partially or fully remote.

It also comes as teachers around the state are urging Gov. Phil Murphy to include them in essential workers eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and get them vaccinated. The Toms River school board is planning to approve a resolution urging Murphy to prioritize teachers for the vaccine to help districts return to full-time instruction safely and sooner.

Toms River administrators had been planning a move toward more days in school in November but as cases began to spike, David Healy, the recently retired superintendent, shelved the plan in hopes that the coronavirus infection rate would be lower after the holidays.

Gialanella continued that delay as the case rate spiked after Thanksgiving and continued to rise both in Ocean County and on a wider scale. In recent weeks, however, the case rate was trending lower.

“I made it pretty clear we were waiting for the infection rate to come down” to make the move to reopen schools, he said. “We were not going to move in that direction until the infection rate came down. it seems to be moving in the right direction.”

The plan, which is dependent on infection rates continuing to decrease, would have elementary school students return March 1, with middle school and high school students returning two weeks later. Preschool children will attend just four days a week, with morning and afternoon sessions.

Students and teachers will have to wear masks all the time while in school, including while in their seats for instruction. In classrooms where they cannot separate children by 6 feet, there will be plastic barriers put in place between the students that attach to their desks.

Students who choose the four days of in-person instruction will be required to attend in school, rather than just opting for virtual instruction, and the district plans to be more strict on that issue, particularly at the high school level, where many students who are signed up for attending in-person hybrid classes now simply stay home and join virtually.

“If families choose in-person, the expectation is those children will be present for classes,” Assistant Superintendent Cara DiMeo said.

The parent portal will open Thursday for families to make their choices, and staff and parent presentations are scheduled for Friday and Monday.

Parents will be able to change their decision if they change their minds, officials said. A move to in-person from virtual will need about 10 days because of busing logistics and social distancing. Those moving to virtual should be able to do so more quickly, officials said.

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