Closter Public Schools

The School Building Reopening Committee met on Tuesday, July 14, 2020, to review the Closter Restart and Recovery Plan. Our plan is focused on bringing staff and students safely back to school. The Closter Restart and Recovery Plan was sent today to the interim county executive superintendent for review. We will provide parents with information about the schedule on or before August 7, 2020. Parents will have the choice of having students return to school in a hybrid learning model or remaining in a fully virtual learning model. Here is an explanation of the plan highlights:  

The New Jersey Department of Education guidance document, The Road Back - Restart and Recovery Plan for Education, requires that we must allow for social distancing within the classroom to the maximum extent, with a recommendation of six feet of distance between students. In order for us to do this, we cannot have full classes attending every day. We do not have enough classroom space or staff to accomplish this. I realize this is challenging for working parents, but I encourage them to begin to plan for childcare for some days during the week.

Our plan will use a phase-in approach so that there will be set times, one in October and one in November, at which we will reassess our capacity. Phase I will be from September 8, 2020, through October 16, 2020. We will assess if we can increase classroom occupancy or the length of the instructional day for phase II, which is from October 19, 2020, through November 25, 2020. Phase III will be from November 30, 2020, through January 15, 2021. For each new phase we will reassess and determine any changes that we can implement. 

For phase I, students will return for a single-session day (four hours) on a A/B day schedule. This will allow teachers time to collaboratively plan instruction for both in-person and at-home learning so that there is consistency across the grade level. When students are at-home on the alternating day, the school day will be for four hours also, with some live, synchronous instruction and some work to complete that is assigned and explained by the teachers on the days students are in the classroom.

We will ensure that children in the same family will attend in-person learning on the same day, whether at Hillside Elementary School or Tenakill Middle School. 

We have purchased cloth masks and face shields for all students and staff. All students and staff will have a daily health screening. The school buildings will be cleaned and sanitized daily with frequently touched surfaces like door handles and push-bars cleaned repeatedly throughout the day.

More information will be available by August 7, 2020, when we communicate the finalized plan.

Sincerely,

Vincent McHale

Vincent McHale
Superintendent of Schools
(201) 768-3001