Middletown Schools To Release Re-Entry Plan This Friday

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Get ready: This Friday, July 24 the Middletown school district will release a finalized plan to the community on how it will allow for school re-entry this fall.

As Patch reported last week, at the July 14 Board of Education special voting meeting last Tuesday, the district administrative team introduced the "Work Session" MTPS Reopening of Schools Presentation.

"Multiple in-person and on-campus schedules as well as full virtual options are being vetted," Middletown schools superintendent Dr. Bill George said last Tuesday night. "Final schedule options will be shared with parents in order for them to register their student for a model that either includes or does not include in-person instruction."

Should Middletown schools be in-person this fall, or at least partially in-person, here are just some of the protocols that will be in place:

• Middletown schools will create an arrival screening process: Before arriving on school grounds Middletown students have to fill out a screening form every day that specifically asks "Within the past 24 hours has your child experienced any of the following symptoms, such as fever, loss of taste and smell, sweats, etc."
• Student drop-off may be staggered.
• School buses may be running at a reduced capacity; all students must wear masks on the bus.
• Teachers will have to wear a mask all day, unless it compromises their health.
• It is not clear if students will have to wear a mask all day. But students will have to wear face coverings in places where six-feet social distancing cannot be maintained.
• At the high school level, lockers may also have to be placed a certain length apart.
• Cafeteria times will be staggered, with buffet eating and self-serve discontinued. Students and staff will be encouraged to have a "grab and go" attitude towards eating in the cafeteria, with large group seating not permitted.
• School visitors will be strictly limited.
• Any student or staff with COVID-like symptoms will be set home immediately. Each school will have a designated social isolation space if someone starts showing symptoms during the school day.
• Middletown schools will be doing contract tracing. Anyone deemed to come in contact with a sick person will have to stay home for 14 days.

Read: Middletown Discusses Options For In-Person Learning This Fall (July 16)

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