Holmdel Students Return To Full Time In-Person Instruction

HOLMDEL, NJ - Students in Holmdel are slated to come back to school on a full-time basis on Monday, a return to a schedule not seen in nearly a year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The Holmdel school district serves as one of few Monmouth County districts open to live instruction following winter recess: districts in Hazlet, Eatontown, Freehold Township, Marlboro, Middletown and Neptune City have announced virtual schedules until the positivity rate can be assessed following the holidays.

Elementary pupils at Village School and Indian Hill School began attending classes in school buildings for full days on Dec. 14, with W.R. Satz and Holmdel High School students attending school in the mornings and finishing the afternoons remotely. Middle and high school students will attend four hours of instruction in-person. Lunchtime marks the dismissal period (12:30 p.m. for W. R. Satz, 11:45 a.m. for Holmdel High School) with students continuing to receive virtual instruction from home for the remainder of the school day.

An all-virtual option is still available to district families.

"We are excited to welcome all of our students back from winter break and are fortunate to be able to continue with in-person instruction as we begin 2021,” wrote interim superintendent Dr. Lee Seitz, in an email sent to district parents on Jan. 3. “The cohort schedule is no longer in effect. Students at Village and Indian Hill will continue with the full time instructional schedule that commenced prior to the winter break.”

However, not all Holmdel community members are thrilled with the in-person transition.

Last month, the Holmdel Board of Education - a vocal proponent of the full-day in-person schedule - rejected pleas from a local teachers’ union to consider a full-virtual schedule amid spiking COVID-19 cases. Read more: Monmouth County COVID Cases Remain 'Very High:' See Town Updates

In a Dec. 19 letter addressed to the Holmdel Township community, the board called the union's recent demand to close schools an "unacceptable option based on the preparations the District has made to provide a safe working and learning environment."

The board also alleges that the union has "now orchestrated a spam assault on the community, using the services of an outside politically-oriented organization, to flood the email accounts of Board members and residents with their complaints." Read more: Holmdel BOE Rejects Teachers' Union Call For Remote Learning

“As cases of infection and death have risen, we have been presented with a plan to
put students into full day in-person schooling, a plan that is not warranted based on the data,” the Holmdel Township Education Association wrote in an email to Patch.

“Parents whose children attend Holmdel schools can decide if they are comfortable sending their children into those schools. But parents who TEACH in Holmdel are not given a choice - whatever their level of comfort or beliefs about safety during this pandemic, teachers are expected to be in their buildings, forcing them to congregate, even when instruction is being delivered completely virtually.”

Monmouth County is located in a designated "high risk" zone, according to the COVID Regional Risk Assessment. On Jan. 3 alone, the county reported more than 354 new positive COVID-19 cases. Since the pandemic began, Holmdel has reported 783 cases. In fact, the township has reported 75 cases since Dec. 23.

“By working together to follow these guidelines, we can help us keep our teachers and students healthy and in our classrooms,” Seitz continued in his welcome back email. “Your cooperation and support has been crucial to reopening our schools for in-person instruction programs which we believe enhances the educational and emotional well being of our students."