Toms River Schools Plan To Stay In Person In 2022: Superintendent

TOMS RIVER, NJ — While the spike in coronavirus cases both locally and across New Jersey has prompted some school districts to shift to fully remote instruction, the Toms River Regional School District is not considering that option.

Interim Superintendent Stephen Genco, in a pre-holiday letter to the district's staff and families, said there are no plans for a districtwide change at this time.

"I know that as we enter this break and look toward 2022, there are questions and concerns about our schools as yet another wave of this pandemic factors in," Genco wrote. "While I certainly did not want to include the word 'Covid' in this holiday message, I do want to take a moment to reiterate that we’re maintaining our approach, with respect to the size of this district, to handle each situation as it arises, with no plans to alter district-wide operations."

"While we remain very much in tune with the trends and continue to prioritize safety and health above all else, our goals remain the same, and we maintain the hope that our collective efforts will help us continue to forge ahead this school year," Genco wrote.

New Jersey reported 9,711 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the most reported for a single day in the state at any time during the pandemic. In Ocean County, there have been 1,647 new cases reported since last Friday, Dec. 17, according to the Ocean County Health Department, including 331 new cases in Toms River in that time.

Vaccination rates have edged up over that time, with 77 percent of those 18 or older having received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine and 68 percent having received two doses. Among kids ages 12-17, 33 percent have received one dose and 29 percent have received two doses.

The school district has been posting a dashboard of cases and students and staff in quarantine, and has seen increases in those numbers just as most districts have experienced. As of Wednesday, there are 184 confirmed COVID-19 current cases among students and staff, and with 1,083 students and 48 staff members currently in quarantine, according to the district, which has 13,800 students.

Students and staff members who are identified as a close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 only are required to quarantine if they are not vaccinated, according to the recent change by the state Department of Health in its guidelines for student and staff quarantines.

Those who are fully vaccinated or who have had COVID-19 and recovered from it within the last 90 days do not have to quarantine, under the new guidelines. Those who are required to quarantine can return to school after seven days if a COVID-19 PCR test at the fifth day or beyond comes back negative for the virus. Without testing, unvaccinated students or staff must wait 10 days in quarantine.

That was a welcome change, Genco said in an email Tuesday, "because it is now consistent with the original CDC guidelines."

"Everyone is trying to keep healthy students in school," he said.

Genco said he is hopeful that the holiday season is positive for everyone in the district.

"What matters most to me at this time is that you’re all able to experience health, hope, and happiness this holiday season," he wrote. "All the best to you and yours, and I look forward to seeing you in 2022."

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