Toms River Schools Shift To Virtual Learning Ahead Of Storm

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Regional School District is shifting to virtual instruction for Monday due to the expected effects of the winter storm moving through New Jersey on Sunday.

The district said students should follow the four-hour hybrid learning schedule, but there will not be any afternoon support sessions.

District officials had said in December that snow days would likely not happen while pandemic restrictions remain in effect, because districts have the ability to shift to fully remote instruction.

The Toms River schools used some of the CARES Act funding from the federal government and Digital Divide funds from the state to purchase enough Chromebooks to supplement ones purchased previously to ensure that students from low-income families — more than a third of the district's 15,000 students — had Chromebooks. The district also worked to connect families with internet access, through portable wifi devices and through a program with Comcast that provides service at a much-lower cost.

Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency that begins at 7 p.m. Sunday due to the storm, which is forecast to bring 2 to 6 inches of snow to the Toms River area. Read more: NJ Weather: State Of Emergency, Vaccine Changes For NJ Nor'easter

The hybrid learning bell schedule can be found here.

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