Both Middletown High Schools Go All Virtual Through End Of Year

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Both Middletown High School North and South will pivot to all-remote learning through Dec. 23, the school district announced this week.

This is because there was the possibility of in-school transmission of COVID at the high schools, said Middletown schools superintendent Mary Ellen Walker in this letter sent to public school parents on Monday.

December 24 begins the school district's winter break, followed by a week of virtual instruction for all district students beginning January 4.

After that, Middletown schools are still planning to have all students return to in-person instruction starting on January 11.

However, the district has slightly tweaked its plan and will be bringing students back in phases, instead of all at once.

Superintendent Walker called it "a modified implementation of Phase 5."

"We have adjusted our approach to provide a more gradual increase in the number of students participating in-person in each class," said Walker on Friday, Dec. 11. "Rather than provide the opportunity for every fully remote learner to begin participating in-person all at once, we will take a more precise and focused approach."

For example, students with special education IEPs and students receiving ESL services, can begin returning to school as early as this week.