FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP – Students who are participating in the hybrid model of instruction in the Freehold Township K-8 School District have physically returned to school for the first time since November.
Jan. 11 marked the resumption of the district’s hybrid model of education that combines in-person instruction and remote instruction on alternating days. Many Freehold Township students have been receiving instruction through the hybrid model during the 2020-21 school year because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Some Freehold Township students have been receiving fully remote instruction if their parents selected that option for their children.
In late November, the district shifted to fully remote instruction for all of its students. Superintendent of Schools Neil Dickstein said the change was made as the result of an increase in the number of positive coronavirus cases being recorded across the school district.
The fully remote instruction continued through December. Dickstein said that decision was based on available data and on the New Jersey Department of Health’s placement of Freehold Township’s region in a high risk category for the virus.
The superintendent subsequently announced Jan. 11 as the scheduled resumption of the hybrid model of instruction. In a Jan. 15 letter, he reported that the hybrid model had resumed as planned for students whose parents have selected that option.
“We were thrilled to welcome back our students to all schools (on Jan. 11),” Dickstein said. “They bring life to our hallways and smiles to our faces. I am pleased we were in a place to return to our hybrid schedule.”
The superintendent emphasized the importance of preventing the spread of the virus in the community to help ensure that students can continue to receive in-person instruction.
“It is our shared responsibility to keep our schools open for in-person learning,” he said. “Thank you (residents) for your anticipated cooperation and continued support.”
According to Dickstein, the separate student cohorts may be combined by Feb. 1, which would allow students to physically attend school five days a week. The hybrid model does not provide for in-person instruction five days a week.