Black Horse Pike Welcomes Back Students, Faces 'Minor Issues'

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — For the first time since March, some high school students were back in the classroom learning in Gloucester Township last week.

And while there were some problems that needed to be corrected in the Black Horse Pike Regional School District, officials said they enjoyed seeing students in the classroom for the first time since schools shut down in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It was joyous to see our students for the first time in 22 weeks,” the district said in a statement on its website. “Many students were excited to be back in school and the students who attended on Thursday were respectful, wore their masks correctly, and participated while keeping their social distance. We applaud the efforts of our first group from Thursday; they really impressed us.”

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Schools across New Jersey closed in March on Gov. Phil Murphy's orders to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. They remained closed for the rest of the school year.

Students at Highland, Timber Creek and Triton regional high schools returned to school on Sept. 3 to desks that are 6 feet apart and while wearing masks. Some students are attending school remotely, while some are attending in-person. Read more here: Black Horse Pike Reopening Plan Includes Mostly Remote Learning

School is different in the new year, and with those differences came some hiccups, the district said.

“Just as we did last year when we were forced to a remote-only option, we will learn from our mistakes and adjust our plans when and where needed,” the district said in a statement posted on its website. “For instance, on Thursday, the first day of school, for students who attended a class where the assigned teacher was remote-only, we thought it would be a good idea to broadcast the teacher on the Smartboard to the class.”

However, the students weren’t able to effectively communicate with the teacher, according to the district. Those students are now being asked to bring headphones to that class.

“We also learned that our lunch order form did not work properly at first, so we had to correct it,” the district said. “These are two of the minor issues that did not go well on Day One.”

Two groups of students have already engaged in in-person learning, on Sept. 3 and on Monday. School was closed on Friday and Monday for Labor Day, and Wednesday was a 100 percent remote learning day for the district. The final two groups of students return to the physical classroom on Thursday and Friday before the district engages in its normal schedule for the school year next week.

The first Board of Education meeting since the start of the 2020-21 academic year is set for Sept. 17 at Timber Creek High School. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. with a closed session, followed by a public session to start no later than 7 p.m.

Do you have a student in the district? What did you think of their remote learning or in-person session? Let us know by email at anthony.bellano@patch.com or by posting your responses here.