North Caldwell Schools Still Undecided On Local Reopen Plan

NORTH CALDWELL, NJ — What will the North Caldwell Public School District look like when students return this fall? That’s still up in the air, district administrators say – and community members still have a chance to offer their input.

Recently, Gov. Phil Murphy laid out a plan to reopen schools across New Jersey after the state’s coronavirus shutdown. Many teachers have since issued a cry for better job protections, worrying that a return to the classroom could endanger educators and children alike.

In North Caldwell, the local school district has been grappling with the return to class as well, holding a virtual meeting on the topic earlier this month. Links to the PowerPoint presentation and the recording of the public forum are posted on the district website.

District officials are holding an online survey that’s due by the end of the day on Tuesday. The responses will be shared at the North Caldwell Board of Education (NCBOE) meeting on Tuesday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m. A link for the livestream of the meeting will be posted on the district website, www.ncboe.org, at a future date.

Questions in the survey include:

• “Do you intend to send your child(ren) to school this fall?”
• “With social distancing in place inside the classroom and class sizes reduced to 10 to 14 children, would you feel comfortable having your student return to school this fall?”
• “What are your main concerns with having your child(ren) return to school in the fall?”

“The NCBOE strongly recommends that all parents in the community fill out the survey and make every effort to attend the meeting on July 21, which will be held by video through the Zoom platform,” administrators said.

The NCBOE will hold an additional meeting on Tuesday, July 28 at 7:30 p.m., at which time members plan to determine which option the district will follow in the fall.

The agendas for board meetings are posted prior to the meeting dates. For a complete list of currently scheduled board meetings, click here.

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