Half of students will attend at a time, 2 days a week in school, 3 at home
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City School District is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic by splitting its school schedule and student body this fall.
Half of the students will spend Monday and Tuesday in school and the last three days of the week at home doing remote instruction.
The other half of the students will spend the first three days of the week at home doing remote learning and then be in school on Thursday and Friday.
The goal is to cut the student population to allow for social distancing in the classroom and other parts of the school buildings while providing a mix of in-person and virtual learning.
The school board approved the plan after a long video presentation involving a host of school administrators addressing a wide variety of aspects regarding the health and safety of students and education plans.
The district also is offering its Virtual Academy for students who will study at home entirely. According to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kathleen Taylor, it appears about 90 percent of students will take part in the hybrid model that mixes virtual with in-person learning. Final numbers were being determined as parents make their choices for their children’s education.
The one substantial caveat that comes with the Virtual Academy is that if students opt to learn remotely, they will not be allowed to participate in school sports or other extracurricular activities.
Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order requires all school districts in the state to offer a full remote learning option for parents who don’t want their children in a school environment as the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
During last Wednesday night’s school board meeting, the administrators explained there will be two groups of students – cohorts – named either O or C. They will be divided by last name so students who have siblings in school will be on the same schedule. The Virtual Academy group will be Cohort V.
The cohorts will be announced the week of Aug. 17.
School officials said coming up with the plans to reopen schools in September was a monumental undertaking after being rushed into remote learning in March when the pandemic shut schools abruptly and districts had to scramble to find ways to educate students at home. The officials asked parents not to compare what they are doing with other districts because this plan is unique to Ocean City to keep the buildings at a 50 percent capacity to limit or prevent transmission of the coronavirus among students, faculty and staff.
Taylor said the district began planning for a return to school in May and that they deferred to public health experts from the state and county departments of health and the Centers for Disease Control. They conducted a needs assessment based on the lessons they learned from the remote learning from March through June “to be better preparing for a new school year.”
Health and safety were the prime factors in the plan, they are adapting teaching to fit the learning environment, and supporting the emotional health of the students, she said.
The district is making sure there is technological support for all students, including providing Chromebooks for all students who need them, and that there is equity in education so all students, including those in special education and who are learning English as a second language, are not left behind.
The plan is meant to allow eligible employees to request a leave of absence or flexible scheduling, but those details weren’t spelled out at the meeting.
The learning at the Virtual Academy is going to mirror the learning in the hybrid schedule with the same hours and attendance taken, as required by the state.
Social distancing, safety protocols
Students and staffs have to wear masks at all times in the school building, with the exception of while they are eating lunch.
Students will have to practice good hygiene and wash and sanitize hands multiple times during the day. The district has purchased additional specialized cleaning equipment – including Clorox Total 360 System electrostatic sprayers and portable sprayers – so the buildings will be sanitized daily.
Building access will be limited to students and staff. Visitors will not be allowed in buildings.
Desks in classrooms will be separated by 6 feet, there will be set traffic patterns in the school hallways that students have to follow and masks will have to be worn on buses and at bus stops. Social distancing should be easier on buses with the split schedules, but parents can waive transportation.
The district will work with county health officials to monitor developments and will work with those officials if an outbreak forces a change in the school’s operating status. School nurses are being trained in contact tracing.
Families will be required to conduct daily screenings at home and students will be “verified” when entering the school or their homeroom.
Child care can be an issue for parents with young children. The district is promoting a partnership with the Ocean City Tabernacle, which has a child care program, and suggests parents go to NJ.gov to search for child care centers in Cape May County.
The school district will work with its food vendor, Aramark, and will increase the use of bagged and prepackage meals. There will be no salad bars or self-service buffet lines and staff will be trained and provided PPE (personal protective equipment). The cafeterias will be open, but there, too, social distancing will be practiced. Meals also will be available for students on the days they are not in the school building.
Students return to school for a half-day schedule Sept. 8 to 11 and start full-day Sept. 14.
State aid cut
The district has learned it will not get $80,000 in funding it anticipated because of the fiscal trouble plaguing the state due to the pandemic. There also is the chance additional funding could be cut. Later in the school board meeting, members voted to approve taking $85,000 from the surplus and putting it toward the shortfall.