The Cranbury School resumed in-person instruction this week after starting the school year fully remote.
Members of the Board of Education had set Oct. 19 as the date for the return of a hybrid model for families that chose the in-person instruction as an option. The Board of Education delayed in-person instruction until Oct. 19, due to facilities issues and a substitute teacher shortage.
The facilities issues included developing a safe protocol to keep the doors open without damaging the physical integrity of the school’s electronic door system and HVAC issues that had arisen in the summer cooling season. According to the school district, facilities issues have been addressed at this time.
The Cranbury School is experiencing a substitute shortage and only has three substitutes currently available to cover classes. The substitute teacher shortage means in-person classes would be at risk of being switched to remote learning at a moment’s notice, due to the inability to cover in-person classes.
Substitutes will not be teaching remotely at this time, according to the school district.
Students in the hybrid model will still have virtual sessions in the afternoon from 2:00-3:15 p.m. each day, along with students who are in the fully remote option.
The hybrid schedule for students in the mornings from pre-K-3 (preschool students) is set to be Monday, Tuesday and Thursday each week from 8:45-11:15 a.m.; pre-K-4 (preschool students) will be in person Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday each week, also from 8:45-11:15 a.m.; and grades Kindergarten to third are scheduled to be in-person Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday each week from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Students in grades four through eight have been assigned A/B learning cohorts for the hybrid model. For example, Cohort A began in-person instruction on Oct. 19, with students attending on Monday and Tuesday and finishing the rest of the week remotely. Cohort B does not begin in-person starting until Oct. 22. Students in this section learn remotely Monday through Wednesday and return to in school learning from Thursday to Friday.
Wednesdays each week will be fully remote learning days to allow for deep cleaning of the school building.
Some of the school-instituted safety protocols include: temperature checks at student designated entries into the school; masks worn at all times while students are on school grounds; and a staggered release of students, as the school administration has made hallways one-way directions to aid in social distancing.