South Brunswick Urges School Community To Follow COVID Guidelines

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — The South Brunswick School District is preparing to welcome hybrid model students for in-person classes on Nov.16. But a few student-athletes were found flouting COVID-19 guidelines last week, Superintendent Scott Feder said.

“In the past week, we have had students who arrived to our athletic programs with fever and who did not complete the screening questionnaire. It is very important that everyone does their part,” Feder told the school community in a message.

“For any parent whose child will be in the school for any reason, you must complete the questionnaire prior to your child arriving at the school,” said Feder.

“Take your child’s temperature to make sure they do not have a fever and make sure you do not send them if they have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive or even if they are a presumptive positive and just waiting for results,” he urged.

Feder emphasized it’s better to err on the side of caution than to close schools after re-opening.

The district has been fortunate to not have any outbreaks in school “despite seeing a few positive cases in the district,” said Feder.

“All cases were mitigated by these individuals following proper protocols of not being in close contact with others prior to their first symptom. This will not always be the case, but if we are vigilant in following the safety protocols and guidelines in place, we will be able to control any spread,” he said.

This week will be extremely crucial for the district.

Statewide, hospitalization due to coronavirus has increased for the first time since June. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced restrictions to indoor youth sports.

Read More Here: Gov. Murphy: NJ COVID-19 Numbers Going 'In Wrong Direction'

Meanwhile, COVID-19 cases have been on the rise in South Brunswick as well, with the town reporting 26 new cases last week - their highest weekly total since May.

There has been much debate on school reopening, with many students saying they preferred a delayed start - on Jan. 19 instead on Nov. 16.

During an Oct. 21 school board meeting, students conveyed to the board they didn't want their peer getting sick, as they fear reopening could lead to an increase in COVID-19 cases among the school-going population.

Read More Here: South Brunswick Students Prefer Delayed Start To In-Person Class

But the district is confident of its detailed reopening plan, which it presented to everyone.

However, Feder said that for the reopening to be successful, families and the school district need to be in a partnership to ensure the safety of everyone.

“I again feel that I need to stress how important it is to follow the safety protocols! This has to be a partnership between family and schools and I cannot emphasize this enough,” he said.

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