Have Reopening Questions? Toms River Schools Have Some Answers

TOMS RIVER, NJ — As planning for the new school year in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic goes on, Toms River Regional School District officials have set up a page on the district's website with information.

The district's webpage for the 2020-2021 back-to-school planning provides answers to some of the common questions people have had about the plans. A specific plan must be presented to parents not later than a month before school opens in September, Gov. Phil Murphy said in announcing the state Department of Education's "The Road Back."

The district has been seeking input from parents and staff about the plans, including a survey sent to parents to gauge their preferences among options for a hybrid of in-person and remote learning.

The three of the proposed hybrid, or blended, options would have two days of in-person instruction and three days of remote instruction each week, with students separated into A and B groupings.

A page of frequently asked questions addresses some of the primary concerns, such as whether children from the same household will be in the same grouping (they will be) and how social distancing will be addressed.

The district is using the hashtag #TRSafeReturn, and has set up an email address where parents can send specific questions about the plans for the fall: TRSafeReturn@trschools.com.

Superintendent David Healy emphasized at the July 15 school board meeting that all of the plans remain tentative and subject to constantly changing guidelines from the state Department of Education.

"As things evolve we're always revisiting it and looking into other options," he said. "We're very careful to speak about (how) these are tentative plans because our experience to date with this COVID issue since March has been the rules (from the state Department of Education) change daily if not hourly."

The preliminary planning would be for four-hour days for the in-person classes, with shortened class periods and no lunch period because of the social distancing challenges created by having a large group of students eating lunch together.

"We don't want to provide a model just to provide a model," Healy said. "We want to make sure it's enhanced to its maximum, and that includes a live virtual remote learning model."

Healy said that district officials understand there will be staff who are uncomfortable returning to buildings, and parents who feel uncomfortable having their children return.

On Monday, Murphy announced that school districts could offer an all-remote learning option. The details on that have not yet been released. Healy said the district will deal with both students and staff who have concerns on a case-by-case basis.

The school board has a special meeting set for Wednesday, where it will likely discuss the tentative plans further. Details on the remote meeting are on the district website.

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