Wayne Schools Resume Hybrid Learning

WAYNE, NJ — Public schools students will return to the classroom starting Tuesday as the district begins the next phase of reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The new hybrid schedule includes two in-person learning days per week for two cohorts of students. Wednesday will serve as a virtual learning day for all students.

In-person learning will expand as of March 1 if the current plan goes off without a hitch. Phase five would include a full school day — with cohorts still intact — starting April 19.

The reopening plan was approved at a Thursday Board of Education meeting, and after a group of parents protested for an end to virtual learning. Read more: Disgruntled Wayne Parents Rally To Reopen Schools

Cases of the coronavirus within the township have gone down week over week since Jan. 10, according to the Wayne Health Department. District numbers show that cases are down from 56 during the week of Jan. 10, but have fluctuated in the weeks since.

Staffing has been a significant issue for the district in their quest to reopen schools, according to Superintendent Mark Toback. The district even missed their original return date because of it, he said.

"Even if we had continued with the plan to re-open for in-person instruction on January 19th, a number of our schools would not have been able to open due to severe staffing shortages. For a variety of reasons, we simply do not have enough employees and substitutes to properly staff our schools and provide adequate supervision for students," he wrote in a recent letter.

The district is trying to recruit more substitute teachers, and have increased the day rate for permanent substitute teachers, and the per diem rate for other subs.

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