South Brunswick School District Presents Safe Return Plan

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ – It's back-to-school time in South Brunswick and Superintendent Scott Feder said district officials have learned how to “pivot” and “adjust” in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

At Thursday’s Board of Education meeting, Feder presented the district’s reopening plan. “Things change...,” Feder said. “Our staff adjusts, they pivot, they balance.”

The Superintendent said that much of what he presented on Aug. 26 is subject to change based on guidelines from the state. The presentation gave parents and guardians a look at how the school year will look like.

He explained that there are two groups of people making decisions – the government and the local authorities. When it comes to state mandates, local authorities have no option but to enforce them, like masking, travel rules, vaccine mandates, etc.

“We have no choice. No begging, no pleading, no petitions can help me change the decision to have in-person learning only,” Feder said.

He addressed communities in New Jersey where masks mandates have caused general “chaos” at Board of Education meetings.

“The mask mandate is a state executive order 251 by the Governor of New Jersey. We have no choice. Districts that have said they’ll buck that mandate, they can’t... It’s all political,” he said.

Feder said that if the school district goes against an executive order and something happens, namely a COVID-19 related death, then the district is at risk financially and through "bad press."

On Aug. 6, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that all New Jersey students, educators, staff, and visitors will have to mask up in school buildings - regardless of vaccination status.

There are a few exemptions, like extreme heat, any activity that is considered dangerous, or health concerns. The district will allow mask breaks for children. Masks are optional outdoors.

He addressed the polarizing topic of masking and vaccines among adults and said it often trickles down to students. Feder said he and district officials plan to curb discussion on polarizing topics among students that could lead to bullying or harassment.

Regarding vaccination, Feder said all school personnel needs to be fully vaccinated by Oct. 18 or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing. All of this will be at the district’s expense.

Murphy recently signed an executive order stating that all pre-K-12 school personnel must be vaccinated or undergo regular testing for COVID-19 at least once or twice a week.

Read More Here: NJ Teachers, State Employees Must Be Vaccinated Or Face Testing

Students are not required to get vaccinated, but students aged 12 years and older are “encouraged” to get the vaccine. Feder also said the topic of vaccines is not allowed in classrooms.

Athletics will continue for now, with field trips limited.

The quarantine rules are however complex, based on regional COVID-19 data. A student within 3 feet of another individual who is not masked, will be considered a close contact and asked to quarantine for 14 days if unvaccinated.

Vaccinated individuals don’t have to quarantine. “The mask is now considered a shield,” Feder explained. “Meaning two students – one has COVID, one doesn’t - three feet apart, fully masked; they are no longer considered close contact.”

Feder said he was concerned about how this would play out especially during lunchtime when children are unmasked.

Currently, there are no state quarantine rules for out-of-state travel, but CDC does have rules for international travel. Feder said he would consult the updated guidelines in case of travel.

"We are going to mitigate what we can mitigate," Feder said. "But there are realities that we have to deal with, and the reality is that we can't do all of it given the situation we are in."

South Brunswick School District reopens on Sept. 9.

You can watch the entire presentation, by clicking here.

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