Gloucester Twp. School Board To Consider Reopening Plan Monday

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — The Gloucester Township K-8 School District Board of Education will consider the district’s reopening plan when it meets Monday night.

The Board of Education will consider the Federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act on second reading when it meets at 6 p.m. The meeting will be held virtually.

Superintendent of Schools John Bilodeau and Assistant Superintendent of Instruction Tim Trow will also provide an updated overview of the district’s reopening plan as part of his superintendent’s report.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

The plans, as presented to the board on July 27, include both hybrid and remote-learning options. Under the original plan, only Gloucester Township students who successfully completed/participated in remote learning last year as well as new students would be eligible for remote learning, according to a presentation by Superintendent of Schools John Bilodeau and Director of Curriculum and Instruction Tim Trow. Any students in Grades 3-8 who had No Grade for the fourth marking period are not eligible.

There will be a separate group of teachers assigned to remote learning than those who are assigned to hybrid instruction. It was possible that special education students and other specialty groups may be able to attend school up to four days a week, but there are no solid plans for that as the overall plan is still being developed.

The hybrid option would call for students to be split into two groups. One group would attend school on Monday and Tuesday, and the other would attend on Wednesday and Thursday. On the days in which their group is not in school, students will be learning remotely. All schools will learn remotely on Friday. Students who choose the hybrid option will have the same teachers all five days. Read more here: Gloucester Twp. Schools To Offer Remote, In-Person Learning

Since that presentation, many districts have been changing their plans after Gov. Phil Murphy announced that school districts may begin their academic year using a full-remote option if needed. Read more here: NJ To Offer Remote-Learning Option For Schools Amid Coronavirus

Gloucester Township has not made a public statement about their plan, but the Black Horse Pike Regional School District has said the governor’s announcement has not altered its plans. Both districts already have 100 percent full-remote options incorporated into their plans.

See related: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know