COVID-19 RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS REOPENING AND RECOVERY

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Over the past several weeks, people have been inquiring about what the plan is for the reopening of schools in the fall. Please understand that we are working on several different options and await some promised direction from the New Jersey Department of Education. Since we currently have no formal direction from the NJDOE, we are looking at what other states, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Colorado, to name a few, have provided their schools and the public. This is what I can tell you. See the follow scenarios below:

If we can come back without restrictions, we will be checking everyone’s health on a daily basis. It is likely that we will be required to wear face masks. We will adapt some programs that have been reported to be more problematic than others, i.e., physical education, cafeteria service, instrumental and choral programs, to name a few.

If social distancing restrictions are still in place, we will have to alter student schedules and provide a hybrid model of learning in which students will alternately learn in school and at home based on the impossible task of having all students come to our schools at the same time.

If home instruction continues, remote learning will be enhanced to address areas of concern. We have done a great and unprecedented job with home instruction, but we have learned a lot and will work to make positive changes if we are required to continue with home instruction. Survey data from teachers, parents, and 6-12 students will be analyzed to inform how we can enhance our remote instruction program.

We have subcommittees working on different components integral to the transition back to school.  One subcommittee is reviewing facilities. This group has focused on a variety of action and supplies needed to provide a safe environment for our students and our staff. The group working on instruction and operations continues to look at refining scheduling for all of the scenarios listed above, as well as improvements to remote instruction. Summer professional development for staff is being created to capture what we have learned and to plan for the fall. The wellness subcommittee is determining how many people may not be able to return to work or school based on underlying health issues and how that will impact teaching and learning, as well as an extremely long list of other health concerns, practices, and protocols that will have to be enacted and followed.

As soon as we have detailed plans, we will present them to the public. What we end up doing will be determined by what we are permitted to do by our Governor. The above descriptions are not detailed, but they should provide an overview of the behind-the-scenes work being done to provide for a safe and much-needed return to our schools. Since it is likely that students will be required to wear masks, parents are encouraged to start making or purchasing masks that are protective and can be washed.