Princeton Schools To Go Remote A Week Following Winter Recess

PRINCETON, NJ — Princeton Public Schools announced it will go remote a few days before, and a week following winter recess. Dec.18 would be the last day for hybrid learning, until Jan. 12, 2021.

Winter recess was originally scheduled to begin Dec. 24, with Dec. 23 being early dismissal day. Hybrid classes were to resume on Jan. 4, 2021.

In a letter to the school community, Superintendent Barry Galasso said the decision was made after consulting local medical experts.

“Our coronavirus numbers remain low and we want to keep them that way. Having extra days to isolate and/or quarantine as necessary gives us a better chance of moving through January with healthy students and staff,” he said.

Students will return to hybrid learning on Jan. 12 and for that week, the district will flip schedule so the hybrid elementary students have an in-school day on Jan.13, said Galasso.

Middle and high school hybrid students will have an in-school day on Jan. 15.

Galasso said that although the district’s remote learning program “gets stronger every day,” for the vast majority of students, “learning happens best in person and in a classroom.”

He also praised teachers from the school district for coming back into classrooms despite the pandemic. “To be in a teacher in 2020 required actual courage. At a time when many people were working from home, our PPS teachers, principals, and supervisors donned their masks and marched into our schools,” he said.

“This exemplifies the best kind of courage and I would like to thank every teacher and every staff member for their commitment.”

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