Pinelands Regional Interim Super Hopes To Reopen High School By Mid-November

LITTLE EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP - Although students in the Pinelands Regional School District are now on four-hour split sessions at the junior high school, that could change by the middle of next month.

"We want to stress that this is a temporary, short-term solution, and that we expect to be back in the high school on a full schedule sometime in mid-November," Interim Superintendent Maryann Banks posted on the district website.

District officials announced at a special parents' meeting on Friday night that the high school would be closed indefinitely. They've been grappling with asbestos-related problems and air quality issues since a roofing project began at the high school.

The decision to close the school was made after a roofing screw apparently fell on a student.

Executive County Superintendent Daryl Minus-Vincent and county Business Administrator Charles Muller toured district facilities on Monday, then approved the split-session plan, Banks said.

"While not ideal, the instructional day created within the split schedule meets the minimum standards for instruction in the State of New Jersey pursuant to law," she said.

School officials are also working on a plan to revise the school calendar to make up for the days missed when high school was closed last week, Banks said.

Photo:Patch file photo