Southern Regional, Stafford Schools Collaborating On Fall Return

MANAHAWKIN, NJ — Southern Regional and Stafford Township school administrators have collaborated with three other districts on a fall reopening plan. The superintendents of five districts agreed Wednesday to plan for in-person reopenings.

Superintendents from the Beach Haven School District, Long Beach Island Consolidated School District and Ocean Township/Waretown School District have participated in the coordinated effort, according to a joint letter released Wednesday.

"Within this agreement is recognition that the challenges are abundant and that the health, safety and well-being of all who participate in the reopening is paramount," the letter said. "Consideration and reasonable accommodations for immune compromised participants will be an integral component throughout the planning process."

The districts will also develop contingency hybrid plans to provide different models for partially in-person, partially remote learning. They will implement them if health officials and the Department of Education mandate them.

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Related article: Should New Jersey Schools Reopen This Fall? Take Our Survey

School- and district-level meetings will continue. Districts will distribute more information and hold feedback meetings.

Read the letter here.

The Barnegat Township School District has been organizing a prospective plan that would break students up into three cohorts. About 15 percent of parents replied to the district's survey indicating they would like their children to continue learning remotely every day, according to Jim Barbiere, the district's director of curriculum, instruction and human resources.

The district would allow students to do so if they present a doctor's note that they or their parents have underlying conditions that could leave them more vulnerable to COVID-19, Barbiere says.

Then the district would break students up into two different cohorts. One would learn in person Mondays and Wednesdays. The other would attend school Tuesdays and Thursdays. All students would learn remotely Friday and all weekdays when they're not physically in school. (Stay tuned for more coverage).

Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

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