Middletown Discusses Options For In-Person Learning This Fall

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — At their meeting Tuesday night, the Middletown Board of Education was presented with a plan that allows for in-person student instruction this fall — but to do so safely. This includes requiring Middletown students to submit a daily healthy screening form every morning before school, and have their temperature taken before stepping onto school grounds.

However, nothing has been finalized or voted on by the board. The district is also considering full virtual options for the fall. Also, plans could change at any moment as the virus progresses and health data changes.

"Multiple in-person and on-campus schedules as well as full virtual options are being vetted," said Middletown schools superintendent Dr. Bill George 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."

Stay tuned: A final reopening plan will be presented to the public at the July 29 Middletown BOE meeting.

Approximately 150 Middletown teachers, staff, BOE members and parents are part of a reopening committee, and their input helped create some of these ideas below.

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.

It appears the state Dept. of Education overall wants students to return to in-person classes this fall. On June 26, the state Department of Education released the following to all New Jersey public schools:

• "The public health data and trends as it currently stands support the reopening of schools for in-person operations in fall 2020."
• "Absent a shift in the public health data, schools and districts must reopen for modified in-person instruction and operations at the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, in accordance with the guidance and standards described in this plan."
• "Pursuant to this plan, and the health and safety standards contained herein, many schools and districts will have to operate school buildings at reduced capacity. This might necessitate the establishment of 'hybrid' learning environments, where schools and districts deliver both in person and remote services.
• And finally, "Districts need to be prepared to pivot to remote instruction at any time during the 2020-2021 school year."

Middletown parents and staff were asked to fill out a survey on what they want to see in terms of reopening. A majority of Middletown parents (44 percent) said they are "somewhat comfortable" with in-person learning this fall, followed by 37 percent who said they are "very comfortable," and finally 17 percent who said they are "not comfortable."

The plans for in-person were presented for more than one hour Tuesday night at the Middletown BOE meeting. Scroll to minute 14:50 to begin watching:

Click here to get Patch email notifications on this or other local news articles or get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our app. Download here. Follow Middletown Patch on Facebook. Have a news tip? Email the Middletown Patch reporter, Carly.baldwin@patch.com