HOLMDEL – The Holmdel Township Schools Board of Education has partnered with Spiezle Architectural Group, Greyhawk Construction Management and Consulting, and Schiller and Hersh Associates to conduct a district-wide reoccupancy assessment in response to the COVID-19 outbreak and reopening schools in September.
At the same time, district administrators are preparing for school opening scenarios that could include student’s traditional return to school, a hybrid model of in-person and remote (virtual) learning, and full-time remote learning.
The board will schedule a special meeting to approve the reopening plan for submission to the state on Aug. 12, according to a press release.
In recent weeks, district administrators and representatives of the consulting team visited Holmdel High School, W.R. Satz Middle School, Indian Hill Elementary School, Village Elementary School and the district’s offices to assess the facilities and develop an outline of strategies for the process of reoccupying the facilities while maintaining the health, safety and welfare of the students, staff and general public, according to the press release.
The strategies include physical measures as well as policies and procedures which were developed under the regulations of Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive orders, the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the New Jersey Department of Education’s Restart and Recovery Plan for Education, according to the press release.
District administrators will be updating policies and procedures, and have made preparations to cover considerations including scheduling, athletics and food services at each school.
The primary measures being addressed include implementing UV-C lighting for disinfecting after hours; installing bipolarionization filtration units in heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems; installing thermal temperature detection devices at entries;
installing physical barriers (such as sneeze guards) at vestibules, in main offices and in nurse offices; installing antimicrobial coatings on commonly used surfaces; installing hand sanitizer dispensers in each classroom and key locations; and adjusting the spacing of classroom and nurse office furniture for physical distancing.
“We are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff,” Interim Superintendent of Schools Lee Seitz said. “It is our hope that the strategies we are taking will reduce the risks of exposure and transmission of COVID-19.”
In response to a question from the Independent, Seitz said district administrators “are preparing for several opening scenarios: traditional or regular school, hybrid, and full-time virtual.”
Asked if district administrators are concerned about possible long-term effects on children’s education if they have to remain on remote education for an unspecified length of time, Seitz said, “Of course we are concerned. During a normal year, there is a certain degree of regression that occurs over the summer. That regression is only amplified when students are unable to return to school in the fall.
“Additionally, when students are not in school there is a negative impact on their social and emotional development. Schools are essential to the development of our children and their absence will have a negative impact on them that will not be easily remedied.”
Regarding changes in remote education that may be made from the way it was handled from March through June, Seitz said, “We are working with current and new technology models and our staff to refine our virtual program.
“Essential to that refinement is a collaborative process with our entire staff and our students and their parents to identify what is effective and to identify opportunities for improvement.
“Our professional development program will likely be expanded to provide our teachers with new knowledge and strategies to continually improve virtual and in-person instruction.
“One of the unanticipated benefits of the rush during spring to go virtual is the knowledge our teachers gained in infusing technology into their virtual program.
“I am confident that when we return to the traditional school setting, the newly gained knowledge and experience will be infused into the regular instructional program and improve student learning,” Seitz said.
On July 20, Murphy, who had previously directed school district administrators to prepare buildings for the resumption of in-person instruction, reacted to parents who expressed concern about sending their children back to school during the ongoing health crisis.
The governor said parents will be permitted to select a full-time remote educational option for their children as the 2020-21 school year begins. Additional guidelines are expected to be provided by the Department of Education.