Students in the Tinton Falls K-8 School District have physically returned to school in a hybrid model of in-person and remote instruction.
Dec. 14 marked the physical return of students, according to Superintendent of Schools Lisa Goldey. Students of the school district, which serves residents of Tinton Falls and Shrewsbury Township, had been receiving fully remote instruction since Nov. 23.
During the 2020-21 school year, because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, many students have received their education in a hybrid model that combines in-person instruction several days a week and remote instruction on the remaining days of the week.
Some students have only been receiving remote instruction if their parents selected that option at the beginning of the school year.
According to a Dec. 2 letter from Goldey, pre-kindergarten through fifth grade pupils would physically return by Dec. 7. The remaining middle school students would return by Dec. 14.
“I know this news will be received differently by our community,” the superintendent wrote. “Some may find this decision counter-intuitive with the continued uptick (in positive coronavirus tests).
“However, I am relying on health professionals’ recommendations and I know our students need to be in-person as much as possible. There has been no in-school spread (of the virus) to date. These decisions are never made in isolation. They are made after considerable consultation and collaboration.”
Goldey said the district could return to fully remote instruction if there are school-based transmissions or if the COVID Regional Risk Assessment deems Monmouth County and/or the state to have the highest possible risk for the virus. Currently, the county and the state are deemed to have a high risk.
“It is very important that we all follow appropriate health and safety protocols,” she said. “While we have not seen in-school spread, the increase in COVID-19 activity in our county is concerning. We all want our schools to remain open and our staff and students healthy. We must continue to do our part to ensure we can all be in school safely.”