Return-to-School FAQ
- Maintaining the health and safety of our students, families, and staff.
- Ensuring all students learn and thrive academically through high quality instruction.
- Supporting the social and emotional needs of all of our students and staff.
- Equitable access to our curriculum in both the hybrid and fully virtual classrooms.
The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) released The Road Back - Restart and Recovery Plan for Education on June 26, 2020. Additional guidelines were released on July 24, 2020, requiring school districts to offer a full-time remote learning option for students. Closter Public Schools announced the school reopening schedule on July 31, 2020, and posted the Closter Reopening Plan on the district website. The plan was submitted to the NJDOE and the Closter Health Department for review.
The Closter Reopening School Committee followed the guidance provided by the NJDOE. The guidelines outlined by the NJDOE are aligned with the Center for Disease Control recommendations on school reopening. We also have consulted with Jin Bae, the Closter Health Official; our district physician, Dr. Shilpa Patel; and several physicians with expertise in public health, bioterrorism, and epidemiology. School administrators and school nurses will work closely with our local health department in response to all presumed and confirmed COVID-19 cases in our schools.
Are you using the Guidelines of the American Association of Pediatrics or the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine?
While we are taking into consideration the recommendations from these organizations, the requirements we must follow in our reopening plan come from the NJDOE and CDC guidelines.
Our goal is to return to a regular schedule of full days for all students when it is safe to do so. Student choice of hybrid or fully virtual will remain in effect for the first trimester, which is from September 8 through December 7, 2020. We will use the phase-in/out timeline to reassess our implemented schedule by October 16, November 25, and January 15. The goal of the phased reassessment is to increase classroom occupancy and in-person instructional time, if possible. Phase I will be from September 8 through October 16; Phase II will be from October 19 through November 25; Phase III will be from November 30 through January 15.
As school districts prepare for reopening in person, each is following the guidance from the NJ Department of Education and doing what it has the capacity to do. No two districts will have the exact same plan because each has a different student enrollment number, different classroom occupancy limit, and different employee contractual daily schedule. Again, our goal is to begin Phase I safely. The A/B day hybrid schedule will ensure:
- Less students in school each day - half of the students in-person per day;
- Isolated classroom groups to minimize spread of COVID-19;
- Student needs are still addressed;
- In-person contact with the teacher on at least two days per week;
- Time for students to complete assignments and projects at home, with all necessary resources provided on the in-person day;
- Lunch will be eaten at home, so students do not have to remove masks inside while eating in classrooms.
For Phase I of our return, we will be using a four-hour day. While we understand that this is challenging for everyone, there are several reasons why we are starting with the shorter day:
- Students will be remaining in one classroom for the day, with times for bathroom breaks and outdoor breaks (weather permitting). In the June return-to-school survey, a little more than 50% of parents indicated that their child would not be able to keep a mask on for a full school day.
- Teachers will use the afternoon time to collaborate and prepare lessons with grade-level teachers to ensure consistency of instruction.
- The teachers will use afternoon time to provide written feedback on the work that students will be completing on their at-home day.
Having a five-hour day with lunch would only increase instructional time by about 15 minutes, and it decreases time within the contractual work day for teachers to collaboratively plan and to support students learning virtually.
This is a recommendation of the CDC based on following the successful reopening of schools in other countries. This step is intended to help isolate COVID-19 infection to as few classrooms as possible. If someone is presumed or confirmed to have COVID-19, we may be able to quarantine only their one classroom group rather than the entire school. However, the decision on who must quarantine for fourteen days if there are cases of COVID-19 will be determined by the local health department.
The school principals and assistant principals will begin working on the schedule of assigning students after August 7, 2020, which is the deadline for parents notifying us of their choice for fully virtual or hybrid learning. Our goal is to notify parents of their child’s schedule by August 25, 2020, sooner if possible. Siblings will be assigned to the same day schedule. We cannot accept requests for a specific day schedule or for students to be paired with non-family members.
The class sizes will be determined by how many students are returning to hybrid class and how many are remaining 100% virtual. For the hybrid model, the in-person day will be about 10 to 12 students per classroom. The 100% virtual classes could be the size of a class during "normal" times, between 20 to 25 students.
Yes! New Jersey health officials have issued incoming travel advisories that require fourteen days of quarantine. If your children have traveled outside of the United States or to any of the restricted states and return to New Jersey, they must quarantine for a fourteen-day period. If the quarantine extends to September 8, 2020, or beyond, they will be excluded from in-person attendance at school. The current states that require quarantine are located on the New Jersey COVID-19 Information Hub website for your reference.
Yes, masks will be required for all staff and students when indoors.
- The district will provide students and staff with two face masks and one plastic face shield.
- We encourage parents to secure additional masks for students so they will have enough clean masks for the days they attend in-person instruction. Face masks must be appropriate for a school setting.
- Students and staff members shall not wear a shield without a mask.
- Not wearing a mask while on school property will be considered a dress-code violation.
- If any student is unable to wear a mask during the in-person classes, he/she will be required to use the fully virtual learning option.
Student and staff safety is our top priority as we begin the school year. The district has purchased the following personal protective equipment (PPE):
- Cloth masks: two for every student and staff member; parents should plan on purchasing additional cloth masks so that students will have a clean mask each day;
- Face shields: one for every student and staff member;
- Surgical masks: for any necessary visitor; for students and staff who do not have a cloth mask;
- N95 masks (still back-ordered as of August 2, 2020): for use in the nurse’s office and as an accommodation for teachers at higher risk of serious illness;
- Gowns: (still back-ordered as of August 6, 2020) ordered for use in the nurse's office or whenever necessary.
We will routinely review proper handwashing procedures with all students. We will require student handwashing whenever students return from outside the classroom. Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the building and in every classroom. Students in classrooms with sinks will utilize the CDC recommended form of washing, which is soap and hot water.
Our custodians will be maintaining a constant schedule of sanitizing throughout the school day to ensure constant sanitizing against COVID-19 is occurring in the bathroom spaces and frequently touched surfaces throughout the building. Please review the Closter Reopening Plan, Facilities Cleaning Practices section, for more information.
Our classroom ventilation systems have been checked by our HVAC consultants. The HVAC univents will use a MERV 13 air filter, which is a high-efficiency filter typically used by hospitals. Fortunately, we have enough in stock for the entire school year. The window air conditioning units do not have MERV 13 filters available. Upon the recommendation of our HVAC consultants and several physicians, if the window air conditioners are used, the classroom windows should remain open (regardless of outside temperature) to allow intake of fresh air. The air conditioner vents will be pointed upward. Further, all students and staff must wear face masks while in the classroom to reduce the spread of aerosolized virus particles if someone in the room had COVID-19. The air conditioning in the offices and nurses’ offices is through a centralized unit that will have a MERV 13 filter to filter out virus particles that could be present. The offices will also have hydroxyl processor units to eliminate harmful germs, chemical VOCs, and odors typically found in public spaces within enclosed buildings.
The isolation rooms in the nurses’ offices have HVAC systems that remove air directly to outside of the school.
Plexiglass barriers are recommended when six feet of social distancing cannot be maintained in a classroom. We are ensuring six feet of social distance within each classroom and are requiring masks to be worn. We are also providing a face shield for when students or teachers need to be in closer proximity, for example if a teacher needs to provide help to a student. We have purchased desk shields, which are not made of plexiglass but provide an additional barrier, for use in some special settings. Please note that the plexiglass or desk shields do not provide protection from aerosolized virus particles in the classroom, which is a serious concern. This is why we are requiring students to keep masks on.
The NJDOE has announced that schools may modify their emergency drills to prevent exposing students to risk. We will select monthly drills that are deemed safe to conduct, such as shelter-in-place and testing of the school communication systems. The New Jersey Division of Fire Safety has suspended the requirement to have one fire drill per month for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Every morning all staff and students will be required to complete a health screening questionnaire at home through Realtime, our new student information system. The questionnaire will require taking body temperature and indicating if any symptoms of COVID-19 are observed. Protocols will be established and communicated pending state board of health guidelines.
At this time (August 3, 2020), the CDC guidelines do not recommend wide-spread COVID-19 testing nor do they recommend daily universal symptom screenings (screening all students grades K–12) be conducted by schools. The CDC only recommends testing for those showing symptoms since testing only indicates infection at one given point in time. The NJDOE guidelines in The Road Back make no mention of coronavirus testing or antibody tests for teachers or students. We may require COVID-19 testing if directed to do so by a health official.
We cannot guarantee that students using lockers would be able to maintain six feet of social distancing, so they will not be using lockers during Phase I of the return to school. Students will not be assigned a locker and will be asked to use book bags for carrying books and personal items to and from school. This could change in Phase II or Phase III of the return to school, depending on how the pandemic unfolds.
Yes, all students, hybrid and fully virtual, will follow the exact same curriculum. At the start of the school year, we will share with all parents the priority instructional standards that will be taught during the first trimester so that there is no uncertainty that all students in the grade level are learning the same content. We are also going to be using teacher prep time to have teachers in the grade level collaborate to ensure consistency between classes - both hybrid and fully virtual.
At HES, physical education will be conducted virtually for all students. At TMS, physical education will be conducted outdoors when weather permits with no shared equipment. When weather doesn't permit class outside, the P.E. teachers will provide health lessons in the students’ classrooms.
At HES, the specials will all be provided virtually on the days that students are at home. At TMS, some specials may be provided virtually and some in-person. For the in-person, the teachers will travel to the students' classrooms.
Yes, students will have dedicated supplies. There will be no sharing of supplies. Students will be provided with any necessary art supplies that they will need at home.
No, there will be no singing if students are in classrooms. There will be no sharing of any wind instruments. If there is shared use of a percussion instrument, it would be sanitized in between uses.
We understand that students may need a snack at some point. If students eat a snack, we will encourage this to take place outside, if weather permits. Eating would require the removal of the mask, which we want to minimize while indoors.
We will dismiss students from various locations to encourage social distancing. We will require that everyone - students, staff, and parents picking up students - wear a mask during arrival and dismissal. Since it is outdoors, the possibility of virus transmission is less risky, but everyone must wear face coverings.
At this time, we are not livestreaming the classes for several reasons including student privacy issues, Internet bandwidth for streaming video and audio from every classroom, and concerns about how the teacher would monitor the ten to twelve students in the classroom as well as the ten to twelve students at home. For students who select the hybrid model, they will be assigned Zoom class times with live teaching and will also have time to complete assignments which will be assigned and explained by the teacher when the students are in-person. At HES, they will have "specials" on the at-home day and any students who get basic skills support will have live instruction from those teachers on the at-home day as well. At TMS, the students will follow the school bell schedule with teachers teaching live on Zoom. In addition to the live Zoom classes, students would have about an hour and half of independent assignments and projects to complete. They would bring this work with them to school the next day. For students who are fully virtual, they will have an assigned schedule of Zoom classes that will be taught live by a teacher.
All students in the entire world have experienced this pandemic. We will provide Closter students with every social-emotional support we can. Both HES and TMS have a plan for providing daily lessons to address the social-emotional. Our students will have instruction that focuses on the priority standards for the subject and grade. We will be assessing students to ensure they are making academic progress. Extra support will be in place to assist students who are not making adequate progress. We need to keep in mind that we are in a worldwide health crisis. We must ensure health and safety first.
In Closter Public Schools, administrators and the school nurses will be in communication with Jae Bin, Closter Health Official, on a case-by-case basis. We do know that if a student or teacher in the classroom tests positive for COVID-19, the entire class will have to quarantine, and instruction would be delivered virtually for the class. If there is an outbreak, the entire school would switch to fully virtual instruction. If a teacher is unable to teach virtually, we will assign a substitute for the class.
Q&A from Our Back-to-School Session
Below you will find the Q&A from our Back-to-School Session held on Thursday, August 6, 2020. You can also view the recorded back-to-school Zoom session at your convenience.
Will the fully virtual instruction be live or recorded? Will you send a schedule for every day?
The fully virtual option will have live instruction via Zoom. The students will have a specific schedule for the times they will meet with a live teacher. We expect that the schedule will remain constant for the first trimester. The students will also have independent work time to complete assignments, which may be online or may be in another format. K–4 students receive approximately 2.5–3.5 hours per day of direct/interactive instruction (synchronous), and approximately 1.5 hours per day of independent work (asynchronous). The middle school students will have a class period schedule to follow.
What will an all virtual schedule look like for students?
The fully virtual schedule will have assigned times for live instruction during the four-hour school day. As described, in both the Closter Reopening Plan and the Details of the Fully Virtual and Hybrid Options documents, the K–4 students will receive approximately 2.5– 3.5 hours per day of direct/interactive instruction and approximately 45 to 90 minutes of time to complete assigned work. Students in grades 5–8 will have assigned classes from 8:45 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. A sample fully virtual schedule might look like this:
How will students see the teacher and learn if we choose the virtual learning option?
The student will see the teacher in a live Zoom session each day. This will be different from the way virtual learning was delivered from March to June 2020.
Can we change virtual learning to hybrid for January 2021?
The learning schedule option that you select (fully virtual or hybrid) will remain in effect for the first trimester (September 7 through December 8). If you wish to change from one to the other for the second trimester, that is permitted. The change would begin on Wednesday, December 9, 2020. We have not officially made a decision, but we may decide to have the schedule change begin on Monday, December 7, 2020, so that there would be a full week of instruction.
How can students take tests in the virtual learning option at home?
Teachers will be monitoring students’ progress toward standards throughout the trimester. Teachers may still use traditional quizzes and tests asking students to complete those while students are live on Zoom so the teacher can watch to ensure that someone else isn't taking the quiz or test. Teachers may also assess student learning through performance assessments, rather than a traditional quiz or test. A performance assessment requires students to perform a task by applying their thinking. Teachers can also ask students to demonstrate their learning by creating a project, submitting a video of themselves explaining their thinking, or giving a presentation to the class on what they have learned about a topic.
When a student takes a test in a virtual setting, do the hybrid kids take the same tests?
Teachers will be monitoring students’ progress toward standards throughout the trimester. Individual teachers will determine the best assessment for determining their students' progress toward the New Jersey Student Learning Standards.
I understand that if enough students select the fully virtual option at a grade level, there will be a dedicated teacher/class for these children. What is the plan for classroom consistency if a student selects to switch between fully virtual and hybrid?
Teachers will collaboratively plan instruction so that the content standards taught and the pacing of the curriculum in all classes at a grade level will be consistent. Our goal is to keep teachers and classes consistent throughout the school year, and we will work diligently to achieve that goal. However, if the number of changes that are requested for the second semester cannot maintain manageable class sizes, we may need to make some changes to student schedules.
Will the students who choose fully virtual have the same teacher/classmates for the full trimester?
Yes. If a teacher becomes ill and can no longer teach the class, that would be the only exception.
Will the students who choose fully virtual have access to any supplies that the school normally provides for the students, i.e. math workbooks?
Yes, at the start of the school year, supplies and texts will be provided to all students, including those who select the fully virtual option.
What is the platform that the teachers will use for the fully virtual option?
PreK–2 will use Seesaw. Grade 3 will use Google Classroom. Grades 4 through 8 will use Schoology. Teachers will communicate with parents each week to share what the assignments are and where information about the assignments can be found.
During the spring, specials (gym art music, science etc.) were offered only on Feel Good Fridays. How will the specials be taught in the fully virtual model?
For Phase I, the specials for both hybrid and fully virtual will be scheduled and will be delivered through live instruction, either in person or Zoom (depending on grade level).
Are there any programs or plans to balance the social/emotional gap that arises from choosing virtual learning? If so, can we have the details on it? It would be great if a program like book buddy, for example, continued online.
We plan to deliver ICARE lessons to Hillside Elementary students and the Character Strong program to Tenakill Middle School. The PTO is planning to offer ASEP virtual classes to students.
What time do virtual learning students have to log on each day?
Hillside Elementary School students must be logged into their class by 8:45 a.m. Tenakill Middle School students must be logged into their class by 8:30 a.m.
For the fully virtual students, will their teachers be current Hillside or Tenakill teachers, or will non-Hillside/non-Tenakill teachers be hired to teach the fully virtual students?
The teachers for both options will be our certificated employees.
For virtual students, how long are they required to stay logged on?
The students will be required to remain logged on for the duration of live instruction
Will the virtual learning students in middle school have a homeroom teacher?
Yes, middle school students will check-in each morning with their homeroom teacher.
Assuming we choose the hybrid option, but we notice early on into the school year that it is not a good fit for us/our child, would we be able to switch to the fully virtual option? How would we go about making that transition without penalizing the child?
The choice is a commitment for the full first trimester (September 7 through December 8). We are doing this because the teachers are going to be different for hybrid and fully virtual. The number of teachers who teach fully virtual sections will depend on the number of students who select that option. For example, if there are 24 students at a grade level who select the fully virtual option, we will have one section. The teacher of that one virtual class for grade level would not be able to have more students added to the class section if people want to switch from hybrid because the class size will become too large to be effective. The changes could be made only after the full trimester. For the reverse, having a student who has been virtual switching to the hybrid would introduce a new student into the class and could increase the risk of spreading COVID-19 if that student had the virus or was asymptomatic.
When will support services (Literacy Plus, Math Plus) and related services (speech therapy) be provided?
We plan to provide these services virtually when students are on their “at-home” day. The reason is so that we can maximize instructional time with the classroom teacher and also provide live teacher support via Zoom on the days students are at home. All related services, except those for the self-contained students and preschoolers who will be attending school daily, will be provided virtually.
Will the content that students receive on Monday and Wednesday be the same as the content students receive on Tuesday and Thursday?
Yes, the students will receive the same content in both cohorts.
If so, then doesn't that mean that the teacher is only giving instruction for four hours twice a week so how will the children be prepared for next year?
This school year will not be a normal year. The students will receive instruction in the priority standards for the grade level. Students will have additional work to complete at home that will assist them in moving through the grade level standards. When the pandemic is behind us, we will return to the regularly scheduled coursework.
Will the children be moving to other classrooms for specials (ex. music, art, P.E., Spanish)?
At Hillside Elementary School, the specials will be offered virtually on the days students are home. At Tenakill, physical education classes will be held outside, weather permitting. All other specials will be held in the students’ classroom or virtually on the day they are at home.
For the hybrid model, what is the plan for the students in the afternoon on days they are physically in school and for the days they are not in school (i.e. virtual)?
The school day is four hours. The PreK instructional day is from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.; the K-4 instructional day is from 8:45 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.; and the grades 5-8 instructional day is from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. In the afternoon, students may complete assignments. The middle school students will be assigned an advisory class one afternoon per week. We are also trying to work out plans for all teachers, K-8, to have end-of-school-day office hours (for students to ask any questions they have about the daily assignments).
Can I take my child out of the hybrid option at any time if I don’t feel comfortable sending her to an in-person classroom?
When you select the fully virtual or hybrid learning option, it is for the full first trimester, September 7 through December 8. When a parent makes this choice, we are then creating schedules with manageable class sizes. For example, if there is only one section of the fully virtual option with 22 students, that class cannot accept an unlimited number of students who want to switch from hybrid to virtual learning. Please make your choice with great thought to this reality. At any time, parents also have the option to withdraw from the public school and provide their child with homeschooling, which must be arranged solely by the parent.
In a hybrid model, if my child is not feeling well (for example has a temperature of 99 or just not feeling right) and he stays at home on a day he is supposed to be at school, can he/she participate in school work from home? Can he take virtual classes from home?
If a student cannot attend school on the in-person day due to illness, then he/she will be absent for the day. They will resume attending class, either in-person or at-home, when they feel better.
Will the hybrid classes be live-streamed?
The hybrid classes will not live-streamed. We do not currently have the bandwidth to support 50 classes in the district live-streaming at the same time.
For the hybrid option, will the students get a live teacher/learning on zoom on the at-home days?
Yes, they will have a live teacher via Zoom for their "specials" and will also have independent work. Teachers will provide some pre-recorded lessons for hybrid students on their at-home days.
Will you be offering extended care? If so, what time will it be offered and what is the cost?
The School-Aged Child Care Program (SACC) will be offering extended care at Hillside School. The SACC program is not able to provide extended care at Tenakill Middle School.
Will the students at TMS be allowed to use the STEM lab and equipment?
Tenakill students will remain in their classroom for the school day. STEM will be taught virtually or in the classroom. The STEM lab will be used as a regular classroom.
Will the children at HES be allowed to move as a group to the instructional classroom or will children only be seated in the same space at all times?
Students will remain in their classrooms as much as possible throughout the day. Special education students who receive additional instructional support will move to another classroom for those programs. Otherwise, all other students will remain in their classroom for the full day other than to use the restroom or to go outside for a break, weather permitting.
Will the HNN and TBN programs still exist during the hybrid schedule?
We are looking at ways to run our HNN program.
How will students attend honors language arts and honors math since all children attending hybrid are designated in one classroom and not moving classrooms.
Accelerated math will still be taking place, as the accelerated class covers different NJ Student Learning Standards. The division of students will begin with math and world language classes in seventh and eighth grade. Language arts will not be in designated accelerated classes but will be in a modified heterogeneous setting determined by the math and world language placements.
If parents from several families are considering hiring a teacher to assist with virtual learning at home, is it possible for those students to be on the same cohort days (not necessarily the same teachers) to accommodate this request?
We cannot accept requests for a specific day schedule or for students to be paired with non-family members. The school principals and assistant principals will begin working on the schedule of assigning students after tomorrow, when the learning choice survey will close. Our goal is to notify parents of their child’s schedule by August 25, 2020, sooner if possible. Siblings will be assigned to the same day schedule. My recommendation to anyone wishing to hire an assistant would be to hire the person to work with students in the afternoon (after the four-hour session).
What is the school calendar for the year?
The school calendar is available on the district website. Please visit the Calendar page and then select calendar from the right side of the screen.
How many hours of homework will the children be required to complete each day?
Students will have assignments to complete as part of the four-hour school day. They may also have some homework each day. Our board policy directs that in grades K-3, homework may include short specific assignments to voluntary additional work. In grades 4 and 5, homework should be given for up to 60 minutes per night, up to four nights per week. In grade 6, homework should not exceed 90 minutes per night up to four nights per week. In grades 7 and 8, homework should be given four nights per week not to exceed 90 minutes per night. Teachers will keep homework assignments within these board policy guidelines.
Is it possible to postpone the decision deadline and the Zoom meeting because many do not have any power?
We can postpone the decision deadline to Sunday, August 7, 2020, at noon. We need the information as soon as possible because we cannot begin scheduling until we have this information. Teachers return in 26 days and students in 30 days! We will record the session and post the link.
As stated, we will be bound to our decision of hybrid or virtual until December 7. If we find that the safety protocols are not being followed, such as kids not wearing their masks, will we be able to change to a fully virtual option?
If students do not follow the mask requirement, they will not be allowed to attend school. When a parent makes this choice, we will create schedules with effective class sizes. If there is only one section of the fully virtual option with 22 students, that class cannot accept an unlimited number of students who want to switch from hybrid to virtual learning. Please make your choice with great thought to this reality. At any time, parents also have the option to withdraw from the public school and provide their child with homeschooling, which must be arranged solely by the parent.
How will the children complete all the requirements to move up to the next grade in September?
All students, hybrid and fully virtual, will follow the exact same curriculum, aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. At the start of the school year we will share with all parents the priority instructional standards that will be taught during the first trimester, so that there is no uncertainty that all students in the grade level are learning the same content. We are also going to be using teacher prep time to have teachers in the grade level collaborate to ensure consistency between classes - both hybrid and fully virtual.
Why are you giving parents a choice? Shouldn't it be all virtual or all in-person?
Governor Murphy has mandated that parents have a choice of either fully virtual and in-person instruction.
Will the children be having state testing this year? If so, how will you ensure that they are prepared?
The NJDOE has not announced whether the PARCC will be administered this year. We will teach students the grade-level standards, which are what the PARCC assesses.
Is this instructional model being implemented for the entire 2020-2021 academic year?
This will depend upon how the pandemic progresses. We are using a three-phase approach and will reassess through January 2021. We will keep parents informed throughout the process.
Kindergarten is not mandatory in NJ. Does that mean I can disenroll my child from public school and have my child attend a private kindergarten and then enroll her for first grade next year?
Yes, as long as your child meets the age requirements for first grade when re-enrolling next year.
With more positive cases being confirmed from the prom parties in neighboring towns, can I change my choice (hybrid vs. virtual) by this Friday even if I already submitted the survey earlier this week? If so, how would I do that?
Yes, you can. Please email me by Friday, August 7, 2020, at 3:00 p.m.
How many layers are the face masks that students and teachers will be wearing?
The cloth masks we are providing for students and teachers are three layers. If parents purchase additional masks, we recommend that they are at least two-layers, preferably three. In addition, students and teachers may wear the district-provided face shield.
What is the plan for the incoming fifth grade students to get them accustomed to their new setting since they will not have had an incoming orientation physically in the school building (i.e. lockers, classrooms)?
We are scheduling an online orientation for students in grade five. There will also be an online orientation for all middle school students so they are prepared for the new schedule.
If many students choose the fully virtual option, is it possible for students in the hybrid option to attend school in-person on additional days if the classes are below their maximum limit (i.e. 50%)?
This may be possible but can only be determined once we know how many students have chosen each option.
As schools will be starting after a summer break when people are traveling, there is a higher risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the first two weeks of reopening. Is it possible to choose a virtual option for two weeks and switch to a hybrid option after two weeks?
This is not possible due to the complications of scheduling.
Will the students have the same number of hours of live teacher time each week with both virtual and hybrid?
Students will all have four hours of school time with both synchronous and asynchronous learning activities. The number of hours of live time with teachers will be different for virtual and hybrid.
Can we use Webex Meeting during virtual days to enhance learning and only show the teacher teaching the class (kids won't be seen on the internet)?
Whether we use Webex, Zoom, or any other streaming service, our issue is that we don’t have broadband capacity to stream from every classroom at the same time.
When can kids drink water during the school day?
Students at both schools may drink at any time if they bring a water bottle. Time will be allowed for students to refill their water bottles at the water filling fountain. Regular water fountains will not be used.
How many cases of COVID-19 does the school need to have before it would shut down and go all virtual? Is there a number or a percentage?
The state has not yet provided us with the guidance on what percentage of COVID-19 cases in the school would warrant closing the whole school. The NJDOE said this guidance will be forthcoming prior to school opening. Closter Public Schools’ administrators and school nurses will be communicating with the Closter Health Official to report all cases of COVID-19 and will follow her guidance for quarantining and/or closing the entire school, following the forthcoming guidance of the state.
Will parents be notified if either a student or faculty member in the school tests positive for COVID-19?
Parents will be notified if a student or teacher in their child’s class has COVID-19 or if their child is required to quarantine.
If anyone in school contracts COVID-19, can my child switch to the fully virtual option?
If someone in your child’s class has COVID-19, your child’s entire class will switch to fully virtual for 14 days. Students in other classes that do not have someone with COVID-19 will not be able to switch to the fully virtual option at that time. The state has not yet provided the guidelines for how many COVID-19 cases would prompt the whole school to switch to fully virtual instruction.
What plans do you have for returning vacationers to ensure they comply with self-quarantine before returning to school?
New Jersey health officials have issued incoming travel advisories that require fourteen days of quarantine. If children have traveled outside of the United States or to any of the restricted states and return to New Jersey, they must quarantine for a fourteen-day period. If the quarantine extends to September 8, 2020, or beyond, they will be excluded from in-person attendance at school. The current states that require quarantine are available online for your reference.
Have you considered mandating that anyone who opts for hybrid learning be tested for COVID-19?
At this time, the CDC guidelines do not recommend wide-spread COVID-19 testing nor do they recommend daily universal symptom screenings (screening all students grades K-12) be conducted by schools. The CDC only recommends testing for those showing symptoms since testing only indicates infection at one given point in time. The NJDOE guidelines in The Road Back make no mention of coronavirus testing or antibody tests for teachers or students. We may require COVID-19 testing if directed to do so by a health official. I have spoken with the Interim Executive County Superintendent about this. He said that the Bergen County Department of Health will be issuing recommendations on this soon.
Since quarantining the entire class for two weeks will be required if someone gets COVID-19, would you consider breaking the class into four groups with one group coming in the morning and one in the afternoon on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and other two groups on Tuesday and Thursday morning/afternoon?
This is not possible. Students would receive less instruction with a two-hour morning session. We cannot have students attend a four-hour session in the morning and another four-hour session in the afternoon within our teacher contractual day.
Do all classroom windows open and will they be required to be open to allow for adequate ventilation?
Classroom windows do open, and they will be required to be open to allow for ventilation. The only classrooms that do not have windows that can open are the small gym/music room at Hillside Elementary School and the STEM lab at Tenakill Middle School. These rooms have central air conditioning with MERV-13 filters. The ventilation system for those rooms will be configured to have increased fresh air flow. The nurse’s office at Hillside is an interior room with no windows, but that room has its own ventilation system that goes directly to the outside through the roof and returns fresh air into the room. Further, we have ordered (but not yet received) a hydroxyl processor for each nurse’s office. This processor will be used to disinfect the air from bacteria, viruses, mold, and odor.
Are there any portable air purifiers that use the MERV 13 filters that can be used in the classrooms? I am certain that concerned parents might like the option to donate one to their child's classroom.
In consultation with environmental consultants and physicians, the use of portable air purifiers can cause additional air flow in the room. If there are aerosolized virus particles in the air, the portable air purifier would pull those past students. We are not accepting donations of portable air purifiers. Our HVAC system is already filtering the air using MERV-13 filters.
I am unclear on the health screening. Originally, I thought it was going to be on-site but now it looks like it will be an at-home assessment. Has there been a change, and if so, why?
The CDC guidance has changed since we created our plan. The CDC does not currently recommend universal symptom screenings (screening all students grades K-12) be conducted by schools. Instead, they are recommending that parents or caregivers should be strongly encouraged to monitor their children for signs of infectious illness every day. Students who are sick should not attend school in person.
If health screenings are done at home, how will it be made known to the teachers/staff whether a student has not filled out their assessment?
The Realtime screening system will provide a report to the school administrator containing information on who has completed the questionnaire and may enter the school, who has completed the questionnaire and may not enter the school, and who has not completed the questionnaire. Further, this information will be sent to a student ID barcode for each child. We will provide students with the barcode ID to attach to their backpack. The code will be screened at the entry door prior to students entering the school.
What will be done to validate and ensure compliance with home assessments?
Everyone’s safety is reliant on the honesty and integrity of every parent when completing the daily questionnaire.
How will teachers enforce correct mask wearing in the classrooms and in public areas and to what extent?
Prior to school starting we will be sending information to families about wearing masks. We will ask parents to discuss the importance of wearing a mask for safety and how to wear the mask correctly. When teachers return, we will share mask-wearing information with them. We will be requiring students to correctly wear a mask at all times during the school day, unless they have a medical reason why wearing a mask would be detrimental to their health. To avoid teachers spending valuable instructional time on requesting children to adjust their masks to be over noses and to keep distance from each other, we ask for parents to reinforce these expectations with students prior to coming to school each day.