Back in March, Secaucus schools had to abruptly switch students to an all remote learning model due to the COVID-19 crisis. Although this caused a difficult situation for many kids and parents alike, the rest of the school year did work out for the most part, especially when you consider that the school board didn't have much time to prepare for the switch.
Then, over the summer, the school board came up with a comprehensive plan for how Secaucus schools would reopen for in-person learning once the new school year began. To limit the amount of student contact and allow for social distancing, Secaucus schools would follow a hybrid model of both in-person learning and remote learning. The student body was split up into three groups: those who attended school in person during the first half of the week, those who attended school in person during the latter half of the week, and those who opted to not attend school in person at all. For all three groups, students would participate in remote learning during the days when they were not in school physically.
The original plan was to stay with this hybrid model until November. At that time, assuming the outbreak has generally subsided, schools would reopen more fully to allow for more in-person learning. However, despite low numbers in New Jersey during the summer, the outbreak never really subsided. The nation as a whole saw cases continue to rise, and the number of local coronavirus cases have begun to increase again now that we are entering the winter season. And although schools have only been operating under the new hybrid model, new cases have already been reported in Clarendon School, Huber Street School, and the Secaucus Middle/High School.
As the result, School Superintendent Jennifer Montesano just announced a change to the schools' reopening plans. Instead of allowing for more in-person learning, Secaucus schools will be regressing to an all remote learning model starting from November 9th until January 15th. At that point, the situation will be reassessed based on the status of the pandemic to determine the best course of action. While the school board recognizes that this change may negatively impact a lot of families, it was a necessary step to prevent the virus from spreading any further within the community.
Superintendent Montesano's formal announcement can be seen
here.
