Manchester's Ridgeway Elementary To Stay Remote Into December

MANCHESTER, NJ — Students and staff at Ridgeway Elementary School will remain on remote instruction until Dec. 7 after a student tested positive for the coronavirus at the school, and several staff members and students are on quarantine, the Manchester superintendent said Wednesday.

In a letter to district staff and families, Superintendent David Trethaway said four new positive cases of the coronavirus had been reported to the district.

One was a high school student, one was a student at Whiting Elementary School and one was a student at Ridgeway Elementary, Trethaway said. The fourth was a district employee, he said.

"At least one other staff member is in the process of being tested as well," he said. In each case, students and staff identified as close contacts were notified and will be quarantining, Trethaway said.

There was the possibility of additional positive cases at Ridgeway Elementary, Trethaway said, "and since there are several staff members and students who will be on quarantine, we will be placing the Ridgeway Elementary School on remote-only instruction with no in-person instruction until Monday December 7th."

The decision "was based on a consultation with the Ocean County Board of Health," he said. "anAs always, we continue to work with the Ocean County Board of Health to ensure we are fulfilling all of the requirements."

Trethaway said the rest of the district will remain on hybrid instruction.

Parents of Ridgeway kindergarteners and ELL students can pick up Chromebooks at Ridgeway Elementary on Monday. Preschool parents can pick up instructional packets on Monday as well, he said.

"Unfortunately, COVID-19 is a part of our life and isolated cases continue to occur throughout the Ocean County community," Trethaway said. "We will continue to monitor these and any future positive cases and if this trend continues, we will need to seriously consider moving to an all-remote learning setting for additional schools in our district."

"This action would affect schools in the district that show multiple cases," he said.

"This decision would also be made in consultation with the Ocean County Board of Health, who have been instrumental in ensuring that our district is following all of the proper safety and health procedures," Trethaway said.

Ocean County is one of 18 counties listed in the high-risk designation because of increases in the positivity rate and the number of cases, according to the state health department. Under the state Department of Education's guidance, school districts in those counties are at risk of moving to remote instruction.

"We will continue to emphasize the importance of local decision-making based on consultation with the district's local health department," the education department said in a statement to NJ.com. "Our message will remain the same as it has been throughout the pandemic, underlining the importance of districts working in close collaboration with their local health department in a manner that recognizes the importance of in-person learning while continuing to monitor and respond to shifts in the public-health data."

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