By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
LINWOOD — School administrations across the country are using the latest information available and trying to come up with plans for students to return to the classroom this fall, and Mainland Regional High School is no exception.
The New Jersey Department of Education released The Road Back: Restart and Recovery Plan for Education June 26 and announced that school districts would re-open in September for in-person instruction.
“Even though this announcement signaled a return to in-person instruction for students, the comprehensive minimum standards and recommendations outlined in the Restart and Recovery Plan focus on the health, safety and wellness of students and staff as a top priority in addition to maintaining the continuity of learning for all students while facilitating equity and ease of access to communication and resources,” stated a letter posted on the school’s website.
The letter also stated that, based on the Standards for Establishing Safe and Healthy Conditions for Learning delineated in the Restart and Recovery Plan, “it is evident that bringing all students in at the same time for instruction is not feasible.”
“We are working through the complexities of returning to in-person instruction as we develop the district’s Restart and Recovery Plan for September 2020.
“As we plan for September, we must continue to take into consideration current realities that include: the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States is on the rise; current and evolving guidance from local, state and federal health, emergency management and education authorities; and the knowledge that as the trajectory of the virus evolves, the guidance and our district’s response and decision-making will evolve.
“We are confident that we must implement a hybrid (blended) learning model that incorporates both in-person and remote virtual instruction to meet the social, emotional and academic needs of our students.”
The district will implement a 1:1 program next year, providing every student a laptop for learning both inside and outside the classroom.
“In addition, the district is committed to assisting families that do not have internet connectivity through either providing internet hotspots or helping families connect with local internet providers to secure in-home access,” the letter stated.
The plan now is to have a hybrid model in which students attend in-person classes and also take online classes.
“At this time, we are confident that only a percentage of students on a rotating basis would be able to come into the high school for in-person instruction based on social distancing requirements, mask expectations, daily health screenings and temperature checks. We are also confident that a hybrid instructional schedule that blends in-person and remote virtual instruction is the district’s best path forward to educate all students,” the letter stated.
The district is awaiting results of an online survey that was due July 14.