Staff Shortage Forces East Windsor Schools Go Virtual

EAST WINDSOR, NJ —The East Windsor Regional School District has transitioned to online learning for a week due to staff shortage related to COVID-19, the district announced Sunday, Jan. 9.

The school district will be virtual from Monday, Jan. 10 to Friday, Jan. 14. Schools are expected to open Tuesday, Jan. 18, after Dr. Martin Luther King Day.

In a letter to the community, school Superintendent Mark Daniels said rising COVID-19 cases in the community and the region has caused “significant staffing challenges within each of our schools.” Although expected, the staffing shortage has been “compounded by the recommended isolation associated with COVID-19.”

“We believe one week of remote/virtual learning will enable the current rise in COVID-19 cases related to the holidays to subside, and provide the staffing required to meaningfully and safely operate our schools,” Daniels said.

All 21 counties in New Jersey are now in the "red" zone for coronavirus, meaning they are all experiencing "very high" levels of coronavirus spread, according to the state Department of Health Friday.

The last time the state was designated a "very high" zone of coronavirus activity was in April 2020, when the government shut down most businesses and everyone went into lockdown. Read More: 'Very High' COVID Spread In All 21 NJ Counties: CDC

New Jersey also recorded 33,459 cases Friday, yet another all-time record in the history of the pandemic. Mercer County on Friday reported 1,217 positive cases and three related deaths — two lab-confirmed and one hospital reported. Read More: Mercer County Now At 'Very High' Risk For COVID Transmission

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