School reopens Oct. 13
By BILL BARLOW /Special to the Sentinel
UPPER TOWNSHIP – The Upper Township Primary School will be closed until Oct. 13 after two people tested positive for COVID-19.
Parents were notified this week by letter from school superintendent Vincent Palmieri.
Palmieri did not immediately respond to a request for comment or confirmation on Tuesday morning. The evening before, Mayor Rich Palombo announced the closure at the Township Committee meeting. He said he received a copy of the school letter, dated Sept. 28.
“Unfortunately, we had two cases, two individuals that tested positive,” Palombo said. As a result, the primary school went entirely virtual beginning Tuesday and will remain that way for two weeks. Sources at the school district said the decision affects only the primary school, with the Upper Township Middle School and Upper Township Elementary School set to continue this week with a hybrid schedule as planned.
The letter did not state if the two people were students or staff.
“I’m not sure. It says two individuals,” Palombo said at the meeting.
In a posted response to a question on a Facebook page of a group dedicated to the Upper Township PTO, school board President Michele Barbieri requested parents not to even ask.
“Families, DO NOT ask if it’s ‘staff or student.’ We will not violate confidentially or the privacy right of those involved. If you need to be notified you will by Administration,” she wrote on Monday.
On the PTO page, she told parents to check their email for an announcement and said the school district, administration and staff have taken every precaution to ensure the health and safety of the school and students. She wrote that the administration is working with local, county and state officials but did not specifically say the school would be closed.
That was confirmed in the comments on the page, however.
“Stay safe, stay healthy, stay strong!” Barbieri wrote.
This year, as schools throughout New Jersey and around the country sought ways to adapt to the pandemic, Upper Township schools adopted a hybrid system, with students dividing time between in-person instruction and remote, virtual learning from home. Classes were divided, to allow for social distance measures within the school, with the obligation that all students would receive equal education.
The district issued devices to students and worked to ensure every household had internet access to allow remote learning.
In a lengthy presentation at an August school board meeting, however, Palmieri told parents that the situation remained dynamic and uncertain, warning parents to be prepared for things to change. Under the plan as presented, parents were asked to take their children’s temperature each morning, and students were to wear masks for in-person instruction.
There was no notice posted on the Facebook page of the Upper Township Primary School and no notice of the school closure was obvious on the school district web page, either. On the PTO Facebook page, many parents had questions, describing the initial letter as confusing, while others offered prayers for quick healing and to avoid further spread of the virus.
One mother said she had a student in the elementary school and another in the primary school. The elementary school student will continue to attend classes in person, she said, questioning the safety of that plan.
Barbieri wrote that children do not need to be quarantined unless they have symptoms or show other signs of illness. Those with concerns should contact their child’s pediatrician or the Cape May County Department of Health.
The nation and the world continue to struggle with the pandemic, with grim news recently on two fronts. National media have reported that the United States has exceeded 200,000 deaths from the virus, which this year became one of the nation’s leading causes of death, while worldwide, the World Health Organization announced that without concerted efforts, the global toll from COVID-19 could exceed 2 million.
At the Monday committee meeting, held remotely under emergency orders related to the pandemic, Township Administrator Scott Morgan presented his regular update, based on information from the county Department of Health and the New Jersey Department of Health.
Cape May County has seen 1,342 positive cases so far, he announced, including 92 deaths. In Upper Township, there are 10 active cases.
He asked travelers to check with the state’s current listing of states that will require quarantine when visiting or returning to New Jersey.
“Presently there are 35 states and territories that meet the criteria,” he said. For more information, he said, see the state’s site at covid19.nj.gov.
which includes extensive information.
More information can also be found at the township website, Morgan said, including links to other information and tips for preventing the spread of the virus. As of Tuesday morning, the New Jersey page reported 14,316 deaths statewide related to Covid-19, with an additional 1,791 deaths possibly caused by the virus.