Wyckoff Superintendent Kerry Postma On COVID, Bus Driver Shortage

WYCKOFF, NJ — The school year is underway in Wyckoff, and students in the K-8 public school district have already been forced to reckon with storm damage in addition to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.

However, Superintendent Kerry Postma tells Patch that there are a number of positives to consider when thinking about the beginning of the school year in 2021.

In-person learning has been an easier experience thanks to updated state guidelines, Postma said, and the district hasn't had an issue with masking regulations on a student or parental level.

But there have been challenges.

The district is facing the same bussing and staffing issues plaguing much of the state, and there have been nine reported COVID-19 cases to date.

Gov. Phil Murphy said in his Monday news conference that as many as 7,000 students were impacted by a bus driver shortage, but didn't have district specific numbers. Postma, however, told Patch that Wyckoff's school bus vendor is among the companies facing driver shortages.

"We have worked, literally, matchmaking between Department of Labor, where folks are looking for jobs ... and with districts," Murphy said.

He added that there is really no quick fix for this problem.

"This is a profession and occupation that is far more complicated," due to licensing requirements, Murphy added.

Still, nothing is black and white for schools — or anything, for that matter — in 2021. So Patch asked Postma to answer a few questions about the district's first month of school.

Here's what she had to say.

PATCH: How has managing these cases differed from last year? Are people as compliant with the rules pertaining to quarantines, self-reporting and other mitigation measures?

POSTMA: The updates to the state's health guidelines for schools over the summer have been extremely helpful in limiting interruptions to in-person learning and keeping our students in school. Specifically, we benefited from the updated guideline which redefined close contacts to exclude those students who were within 6 feet, but both parties were properly masked.

Here in the Wyckoff schools, we have designed our lunch and snack times so that students are at least 6 feet apart when masks are off, and this helps to avoid the need for any quarantine of students. Of the 9 cases we have had since school opened in September, there was only 1 close contact in school.

PATCH: Masking has obviously been a big point of contention between opposing factions across the state. Locally, how have the students been handling the updated masking policies?

Postma: We are proud to say that our students and families have been cooperative with our safety protocols and with the Governor's orders

PATCH: It’s been reported across the state, and locally, that there are shortages in bus drivers, crossing guards and other positions within the district and school buildings. What are the shortages facing the district currently?

Postma: We currently have several openings for part-time aides in our schools. Also, our school bus vendor is seeking additional drivers, and our food service company is seeking additional cafeteria workers.

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