Cranford Schools Open Online Tuesday, Then Hybrid Sept. 14

CRANFORD, NJ — The Cranford schools, one of the first districts in the area to announced their reopening plan, will start Tuesday remotely to ease students into the technology, then offer on-site learning to those who chose it starting Sept. 14. The school calendar is here.

"This gradual start to the school year is intended to assist us in focusing on the social-emotional needs of students and teachers," said Superintendent Scott Rubin. "It will allow students to meet and interact virtually with their teachers and other students while still being able to see each others’ faces before the first in-person day when everyone is wearing a mask. It will also provide an opportunity to engage in orientation style activities, giving everyone a chance to ease into a new normal."

Students whose parents have chosen all-remote learning may stay remote, and can change in November.

In the plan:

• For those choosing in-school learning: PreK through fifth grade students will go to school every weekday, with single-session days and no lunch or recess. They will also get some remote learning. The day will be 2.5 hours.
• Middle school and high school students will go two to three days per week, including alternating on Fridays. They will be separated into two cohorts who will attend in person on alternate days. On the days when one cohort is not in school, they will get a livestream from the class where the other cohort is.
• There will be some afternoon sessions for things like ESL, special education, music, counseling, and other considerations.
• Students must wear a mask and social distance for 6 feet. All of this may change as trends change.

The town recently updated its coronavirus statistics. READ MORE: Cranford Updates Its Coronavirus Statistics.

So, what if a student in Cranford tests positive for coronavirus? What are the other health considerations? Read the frequently asked questions on the superintendent's page here.

The answer to the testing positive question is here. The first step will be notifying the town's health department, then tracing the student's close contacts.

At least 242 districts in New Jersey — more than a third — they have chosen to offer only distance learning for the next few months, saying a portion of their teaching staff can't return to the schools on time, or citing an inability to comply with the new state health recommendations: NJ DOH COVID Recommendations for Schools.pdf.

Children and coronavirus

The CDC says that most children will recover from the virus. But with scientists gathering new information about the virus daily, they also note that children are "at risk for severe covid-19." The CDC notes, "Reinforcement of prevention efforts is essential in congregate settings that serve children, including childcare centers and schools."

Those concerned about school reopening are more worried about children spreading the virus, as many have recently lost a parent, both parents, teachers, and siblings to the virus. At least 63 educators in New York City died of the virus by April 20, after schools shut down March 23.

The federal government has said that as many as half of non-elderly adults could have pre-existing conditions.

National trends

• Over the weekend, New Jersey's total death toll climbed to 14,153. Four confirmed deaths were announced since the day before. The state also announced 388 new confirmed positive cases, bringing the total cases since the beginning of the pandemic to 191,611.
• However, this daily death rate has declined since back on April 30, when it reached a peak of 460 residents in 24 hours, or one person every three minutes.
• Many other states' death rates reached records in July (see the daily totals in each state here), and had to pull back on some of their reopenings.
• New Jersey has asked people to quarantine if returning from 31 states and two territories.
• More than 176,000 Americans have now died of coronavirus, and more than 5.6 million have tested positive.
• More than 900 health care workers have died of the virus nationally. Others are simultaneously fighting misinformation as they try to fight the virus.

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