Gloucester Twp. Schools To Offer Remote, In-Person Learning

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A majority of the families and staff members in the Gloucester Township K-8 Public School District prefer a hybrid of remote and in-class learning when school resumes in the fall amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to the results of a recent survey conducted by the school district.

Earlier this month, the district presented two plans to families in the district: the "All In Plan," in which students would physically attend school most or all the days, with the entire class present; and the “Space First Plan,” in which students spend two days in school and three days learning remotely.

Families preferred the “Space First Plan,” with 41.3 percent of the roughly 3,000 respondents selecting it. Another 35.4 percent selected the “All In Plan,” with 23.3 percent of respondents saying they would opt for an all-remote learning plan.

The “Space First Plan” was also the most popular plan among staff members, who selected it at a rate of 70.7 percent. Another 29.3 percent were in favor of the “All In Plan.”

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The plans were discussed during Monday night’s Board of Education meeting held via Zoom that saw about 100 residents in attendance and many others unable to log on due to technological difficulties. The presentation of the plan was to be posted on the district website Tuesday morning. When the district sent out its survey in early July, it only included two options. Read more here: Gloucester Township Schools Are Considering These Reopening Plans

The district added a 100 percent remote learning plan after Gov. Phil Murphy said the Department of Education would provide guidance for parents to allow for them to opt for all-remote learning for their children this fall. Read more here: NJ To Offer Remote-Learning Option For Schools Amid Coronavirus

On Monday, he added that "every education expert has confirmed that in-person education is critical, and remote learning is only an acceptable substitute when absolutely necessary." Read more here: Gov. Murphy: In-Person NJ Education ‘Critical’ Amid Coronavirus

In Gloucester Township, only 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.

Parents will have until Aug. 2 to fill out a second survey informing the district of their choice. The school will then finalize what the plan will look like, and the 2020-21 school year will begin on Sept. 8. Once a decision is made, parents will have to adhere to their choice through at least the first two marking periods.

And of course, as the coronavirus pandemic evolves, schools may be forced to move to an all-remote learning environment as they did for the 2019-20 school year.

Officials took questions from 25 parents during the meeting. One parent was concerned about the fact that the school board can't meet in-person, but teachers and students will be expected to attend school in-person.

"It's still several weeks before the first day of school," said Bilodeau, who said he doesn't believe the governor would put students or staff in a position that might be harmful to them. " ... The best atmosphere for teachers is to be in the classroom. I believe it's more efficient. It's a difficult deck of cards we've been handed, but we're playing it as best we can. We have to remember we're here for the children."

"It's important for us to lead by example," Board of Education Member Brian Hammell said. "If the staff is expected to go back to school in-person, we (the board) need to go back to meeting in-person too."

There were 60 staff members who also had questions, which will be answered by administrators. If questions remain, they will go before the school board.

The district has been working to improve the remote instruction for this year. Parents have complained there wasn’t enough communication between teachers and the students, and believe their children may have fallen behind in their education due to remote learning.

Teachers are being trained on how to teach students who will be in the classroom and those learning virtually at the same time.

With the limited number of students in class, classes could follow social distancing guidelines of six feet as set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While students would be required to wear their masks for much of the day, there would be an opportunity to take them off.

Students wouldn't be required to wear their masks while sitting at their desks. They would have to wear them when moving around the classroom or outside the classroom other than lunch.

Lunch would take place in the cafeteria as long as social distancing can be maintained. In extreme cases, it may be moved into the classroom, but teachers would be made aware of all student food allergies.

The plan when initially introduced contained wording about “deep cleaning” of classrooms when needed. Bilodeau made sure to state that classrooms will be thoroughly cleaned the exact same way every day. Students are asked not to bring their own hand sanitizer to school, as it will be readily available throughout. All of the hand sanitizer in the schools will use only chemicals approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Students and staff will be screened daily at arrival and denied admission/sent home if they have an elevated temperature or other symptoms of the coronavirus.

There is a four-step plan in place in a case in which a student or staff member tests positive for the coronavirus. Contact tracing will be handled by the Camden County Department of Health.

Any student who becomes sick throughout the course of the day will be sent to the nurse’s office as they would be under any circumstances. The nurse will immediately notify parents, and the parents will be asked to pick their child up as quickly as possible.

Students who were prescribed medication that must be kept at school will still be able to keep their medicine with the nurse at their school.

Transportation will be offered to students. Many parents expressed the desire to take their children to school on their own. For those who take the bus, there will be assigned seating that will be strictly followed for contact tracing purposes. No more than two children will be assigned to a seat, and there will only be one where possible.

Buses will be sanitized after children are dropped off at school and after they are taken home every day. For this reason, there will be no after-school activities, including sports.

With about 35 to 40 percent of the district’s 6,400 student population expected to be going to school in a given day, Bilodeau said the district doesn’t expect traffic at drop-off and pick-up to be a problem.

Face coverings will also be required on the bus, and officials encourage parents to get coverings that are as comfortable and familiar as possible for their students. The district will also have extra face coverings in case they are needed. Additional in-class supplies were also purchased to cut down on the need for students to share.

Chromebooks and other necessary materials will be provided to students for remote learning. Bilodeau said the district purchased about 2,000 pieces of technology, including a substantial number of Chromebooks that will be used by students in grades 2 and up. Access to wireless Internet is required, but the district will help families who are in need of access.

There would be similar work requirements as in-person with some adjustments in the demonstration of content mastery all students are graded as if they were in-person.

Enhanced Instruction will blend live/recorded instruction and self-paced work under the supervision of the teacher. The teacher would receive updated/revised curricular and instructional guidance developed by administrative/teacher committees over the summer.

Daily attendance would be taken/required with the possibility of required/live classes particularly in the middle school.

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