Freehold Boro Classes Expected To Return To In-Person By December

FREEHOLD BORO - Officials at Freehold Borough School District aim to get its students back to in-person classes by the end of the year.

In a letter dated Oct. 16 per CentralJersey.com, Superintendent of Schools Rocco Tomazic noted that Dec. 14 is the projected date to resume in-person instruction for K-8 students. The district has been operating on an all-remote schedule since the school year began on Sept. 8.

While district administrators hoped to start the 2020-21 school year with a hybrid plan of in-person and remote learning, two significant issues proved major setbacks, according to Tomazic: the lack of physical barriers between students to limit the possible transmission of the virus and the HVAC filtration systems.

Tomazic detailed that the filtration is the only remaining issue affecting the district’s in-person reopening, and that administrators are pursuing a bipolar ionization system that will meet the state’s HVAC requirements. The district contractor has provided an initial construction schedule for the equipment’s installation, with Dec. 14 serving as the projected date that students may resume live instruction.

Air purifiers have been installed in select classrooms to allow five special education self-contained classes to begin in-person classes on Nov. 16.

Neighboring Freehold Regional High School District began in-person instruction on Oct. 19. Freehold Township schools reopened under a fully virtual schedule from Sept. 8 through 18, transitioning to a hybrid cohort schedule on Sept. 21.

“There are many variables that might adjust that date, but I put it out to give you (parents) a general idea of what may be possible,” Tomazic said. “More details will follow, particularly after the ionizer supplies are on site and the installation work has begun.”

On Oct. 12, the Freehold Borough Board of Education issued a $278,300 contract for the installation of the bipolar ionizers at the district’s Park Avenue Complex and the Freehold Learning Center.

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