Toms River School Year Kicks Off Virtually For Students

TOMS RIVER, NJ —Students in the Toms River Regional School District will be opening Chromebooks Tuesday morning to kick off the 2020-21 school year as officials grapple with concerns about containing the coronavirus.

The district has planned to open the school year with a hybrid mix of remote instruction and in-person classes. But in mid-August, as staff requests for accommodations and leaves of absence due to health concerns strained the ability to staff classrooms, the district moved to remote instruction.

The district has required teachers to come into the school buildings to teach while students are learning remotely. But there have been 333 staff members who received telework accommodations for health issues and child-care issues, Supterintendent David Healy said. Each was addressed and verified on a case-by-case basis. Of the 333, 179 received accommodations due to child care issues, and 154 received accommodations for medical reasons.

The district has set a tentative return to in-person instruction for Nov. 9, though its special education students will be receiving in-person instruction starting Tuesday.

While some districts moved to remote learning last week, Toms River alerted parents to the decision on Aug. 13, to give them some time to make adjustments to schedules.

If the district is able to resume some form of in-person instruction on Nov. 9, it will avoid layoffs of 240 staff members — bus drivers, cafeteria workers and bus and cafeteria aides — that were announced last week, impact from classes being held remotely.

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