Hoboken Students Must Get COVID Vaccine Or Weekly Tests

HOBOKEN, NJ — Hoboken is believed to be the first New Jersey school district to require students 12 and over to either get COVID vaccinations or weekly COVID tests, part of a districtwide reopening plan announced by the superintendent of schools on Monday.

For students under 12 in the district, who aren't yet eligible to be vaccinated, a random selection each week will receive PCR tests, Superintendent Christine Johnson said. The percentage will be equal to New Jersey’s positivity rate.

Johnson noted that the requirements are meant to adhere to guidance from the state, which is continually evolving and may evolve again.

Among that guidance, districts can't offer remote learning in most cases. For many districts, that means a lot more students will be in the buildings this year. Some districts are handling that with outdoor lunches (when possible) and 3 feet of distancing.

"The Hoboken Public School District is proud to continue providing onsite, full day traditional learning for the 2021-2022 school year," Superintendent Johnson wrote Monday. "This plan demonstrates the most comprehensive education for all students, while continuing to ensure as many safety protocols as possible."

"... The updated plan for this coming school year is based upon the New Jersey Department of Education's The Road Forward: Health and Safety Guidance for the 2021-2022 School Year. The primary updates in this plan include the Governor’s Executive Order requiring a mask mandate, vaccination & testing protocols, quarantine timelines and travel guidelines."

Last year, Hoboken was one of the few districts in the area that managed to keep schools open all day, five days a week, with precautions and distancing. A number of students were also on remote learning. (A video about Hoboken's success on-site is here.)

The district will continue safety measures including temperature checks, daily COVID screening forms, and other sanitary measures.

What About Travel?

Regarding travel, some districts are requiring students to stay home for seven days and get a PCR test after travel, while others require a negative test several days after returning home. READ MORE: Will Fall Travel Plans Mean Remote School? In Some NJ Districts, Yes

Hoboken's travel plan for September and October thusfar requires a negative PCR test 72 hours after travel outside states contiguous to New Jersey. This, too, may be reevaluated if state guidance changes, Johnson said, and may be revised in November.

"These restrictions will serve as the minimum requirement for the months of September and October of 2021," Johnson wrote. "If the State of NJ or the CDC publishes more stringent guidelines during these two months, we will adhere to those. If not, we will re-evaluate our restrictions/guidelines as of November 1st and communicate those to all families."

“I applaud Superintendent Dr. Christine Johnson and her team for instituting a vaccine or testing requirement for all faculty and students 12 years of age and up this school year,” said Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla Tuesday afternoon. “This robust plan to continue to provide safe, in-person educational instruction will ensure that students and families feel protected in the classroom and will limit the spread of COVID-19 among our children."

The mayor added, "I strongly encourage all other institutions and businesses in Hoboken to adopt similar policies.”

EARLIER: Juneteenth Added To Hoboken School Calendar; COVID Rules Coming

NEW: FDA Approves Pfizer Vaccine

Masks, Delta, And Changing Guidance

Districts around New Jersey have had to deal with changing state guidance amid the rise of the highly transmissable Delta variant of coronavirus, and must determine how they will deal with travel quarantines, masking, and other options.

On Monday, Gov. Murphy announced that school staffs must be vaccinated or face weekly testing. READ MORE: Murphy Says School Staffs Must Get Vaccine Or Weekly Testing

Two weeks ago, the state said that students must wear masks indoors this year, which was a change from June, when the governor said he'd leave it up to the individual districts.

(Hackensack Meridian Health is running a webinar Thursday on children, the Delta variant, and back to school; more information here).

Keep watching the district website for updates, as well as Hoboken Patch. More details of the Hoboken plan are here.

Related Stories

• Gov. Murphy Says School Staffs Must Get Vaccine Or Weekly Testing
• NJ K-12 Students Must Wear Masks This Fall, Murphy Says
• Rise In Child COVID Hospitalizations Prompts Vaccination Plea
• NJ Hospital Preps For COVID Surge As Kids Set To Return To School
• Hoboken Mom Urges: Listen to COVID 'Long-Haulers'
• 4 Things To Know About The Delta Variant Of Coronavirus In NJ
• Hoboken Says: Get Vaccinated Or No Spaghetti For You
• 200 Students And Teachers In Florida County Have Virus In First Week Of School

Don't miss Hoboken breaking news alerts when they are announced, or get a free daily newsletter each morning with Hoboken news. Sign up with your preferences here.

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. Got photos? Please include express written permission from the photographer for us to use them. To be the first to get free news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.