Black Horse Pike Considers Changes To Return To School Plan

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — The Black Horse Pike Regional School District is considering changes to its Return to School plan to better meet the needs of students and staff, the district said in its weekly newsletter.

The district recognizes that the first phase of its plan has “slowed curriculum implementation, burdened teachers with juggling three methods of instructional delivery, and limits student access to academic extra-help,” the district said.

It is exploring multiple options for changing the schedule, including an increase in the amount of live in-person and live-streaming of class instruction.

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“Our student and class failure rates indicate that many more students need additional engagement with live instruction or academic extra help,” the district said in a statement posted on its website.

As a result, the district is also looking at ways to get students the extra help and social-emotional help they need. It is also looking to increase instruction time, present time and opportunities to better connect with students using the 100 percent remote learning option, and help teachers plan better lessons for students learning both remotely and in-person.

Since the district, which consists of Highland, Timber Creek and Triton regional high schools, reopened on Sept. 3, there have been 10 confirmed positive coronavirus cases among students and staff, according to the district. Any parent whose child was in close contact with anyone who tested positive has already been notified, the district said.

No one who has tested positive contracted the virus from another student or employee, according to the district.

“Our social distancing and mask wearing efforts seem to be working,” the district said in its statement.

The district also said it is in position to increase the number of students it has in school each day and change the student structure.

“Of course, in our pursuit to accomplish these goals, we will want to continue to abide by safety regulations and practices and balance the needs of students and the community with those of our faculty and staff,” the district said.

The district reopened its three high schools with a mix of in-person and remote-learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. Since the start of the school year, about 549 additional students transferred from hybrid learning to the 100 percent remote model. There are now 1,520 students (44 percent of the district’s population) learning remotely. Read more here: Black Horse Pike Reopening Plan Includes Mostly Remote Learning

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