Manchester School District Unveils Reopening Plan

MANCHESTER, NJ — Plans for Manchester Township students to attend school on alternating days in September were released by district officials on Wednesday, who said the emphasis is on safety and health above all else in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

The district had been fairly tightlipped about its plans, and did not share documents about the plan until after the school board meeting.

"This is where we are at this point in time right now," Superintendent David Trethaway said. "It could change, it could change drastically."

The district is obligated to provide some in-person instruction, and parents will have the option to choose all-remote learning for students who are at high risk of becoming ill from the virus.

But some who called in to the meeting said they felt the district should hold off on opening its doors, instead choosing to keep the entire district remote, at least for the first quarter.

"Some people feel the students should be here every day. Some think the students should not be here at all," Trethaway said. "We don’t have an option to be remote-only."

Here are the tentative plans released Wednesday night:

• Students will be divided into two groups, with Group A attending in person Mondays and Thursday, and Group B attending in person on Tuesdays and Fridays. Wednesdays would be virtual lessons for all students.
• Students will be able to watch the lesson virtual lessons live and ask questions. All students from third grade up will be issued Chromebooks.
• Students also may choose all-remote learning; parents must notify the district not later than Aug. 14. Families who choose remote-only must stay that way for the minimum of the first marking period.
• Regional Day School students will have in-person instruction four days a week.
• Students will have their temperatures taken as soon as they arrive at school; those with a temperature above 100 will be sent to the nurse's office and isolated while their parents are asked to pick them up.
• Students will be encouraged to wear masks in classrooms and while moving around the schools; school staff is required to wear masks throughout the day.
• Students will be required to wear masks on the school bus to and from school and won't be permitted on the bus without one. The buses will load from the back to the front to minimize contact among students, and bus drivers will have a plastic barrier behind the driver to protect the driver.
• Students assigned to a group will stay with that same group of students as the classes advance through the grade levels.

Students will be in school for five hours and teachers for seven, with the last hour of their day for assisting students who have questions about the material they are learning.

Students will be assigned alphabetically to keep families together, and families where there are a mix of last names will be accommodated as well.

Breakfast and lunch will be available and provided as a grab-and-go option. They will be available to students who receive free or reduced price lunches, and students who buy lunch will have the option as well. Students must have money in their account to buy food to go.

School Hours:

High school and middle school classes will be from 7:15 a.m. to 12:15 a.m. with 60-minute classes.

Manchester Township Elementary and Whiting Eelementary would be 8:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m and Ridgeway School would be Ridgeway 8:15 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Classes will be 30 minutes long.

Kindergartners will meet every day in for 2.5 hours in AM session and PM session.

Building-level committees on the restart are meeting remotely; contact the building principal to join in Parentinput@mtschools.org.

The start of high school sports in the fall has been delayed, and while teams are practicing now. Athletes are required to ear masks when they are not working out, and all training will stop as of Sept. 1.

More information will be posted onthe district's website.

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