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Ridgewood School Reopening Plan Update During New Jersey COVID Spike

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Stacie Poelstra Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum opened the presentation with the New Jersey COVID-19 Activity Level Reports at the Ridgewood Board of Education meeting, which show an increase in the case rate and percent positivity approaching the high activity level. All cases are investigated by the Village of Ridgewood Department of Health. There have been 24 cases in the district up to this point. To continue to make improvements to our plan, several things have been done since October 19. Elementary special education students were given the option to attend school in-person on a daily basis. Elementary teachers received equipment and training to begin the implementation of live streaming for students on their at-home day in the hybrid model.

Ms. Poelstra reviewed the numbers of transitions between models at each level, noting that there has been a much larger number of students at the high school who have moved from hybrid to remote. While schools do not appear to be a source of transmission due to the safety protocols, there is a growing concern about a post-holiday COVID spike due to travel and gatherings. We are seeing some larger districts going (or staying) all remote until after the new year. Closure of schools is a local decision made in conjunction with the local health department and will vary from municipality to municipality based on data.  Also, Governor Murphy signed a new Executive Order on November 16, which lowers the limits on indoor and outdoor gatherings. As indicated in a letter from Dr. Fishbein yesterday, George Washington Middle School is closed until November 30. At this time, the district will continue to monitor state health data and maintain the current plan, while considering additional options for enhancing the student experience.

  • Click here and scroll to 1:23:00 to view this portion of the meeting.
  • Click here to view the PDF of the presentation.

4 thoughts on “Ridgewood School Reopening Plan Update During New Jersey COVID Spike

  1. GW closed until Nov 30th

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  2. Some schools are closing right until February, time will tell

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  3. GW is not closed. It just moved to all remote learning instead of hybrid/remote split.

  4. Obviously close the schools. Education is extremely important, being on a team is extremely important, seeing friends and getting out of the house is extremely important, but playing God in these circumstances is extremely dangerous. Is being dead going to help anyone with anything?
    No one knows exactly how this disease works, and to put blinders on and send our youth and teachers, our youngest and brightest out to the front lines is so naive of everyone. I’m disappointed with the lack of foresight, lack of a belief in science, and the sheer delusion this town is living under. They closed NYC schools, close ours. We should be in a lockdown. Anyone who thinks we can support our small businesses and stay open is suffering from an extreme case of denial. It’s disheartening that supposedly educated people make such poor, uneducated decisions.

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