125 Students, 60 Staff Out From COVID In Chatham: Superintendent

CHATHAM, NJ — The School District of the Chathams plans to keep classes in-person and with “normalized schooling” as long as possible, with 77 percent of students back in school the first day after break.

The week prior to the holiday recess, the school district had an early dismissal schedule because of the COVID case count increase, especially at the high school, with livestreamed classes beginning on Dec. 20.

In a Jan. 3 letter to parents, Superintendent Dr. Michael LaSusa wrote of the first day back after break in 2020 “before any of us ever heard of a coronavirus,” the number of students who returned was 90 percent.

On Monday, there were 125 COVID case absences among students in all schools, including those reported to the district over the holidays, LaSusa explained, with more than 60 staff members reporting positive COVID cases since the break started.

“In a good year, the worst day of the year is the day after the holiday break,” he said. “This year, it was not only tough to get up early again, but there are many obstacles to surmount.”

Regarding staffing, he said that levels “remain tenuous and we will do the best we can to continue to operate all schools on a regular schedule, but doing so will be imperfect and the status of schools could change quickly.”

“While it may seem that it makes sense to move to virtual instruction if we are short staff, it means it is more likely that students will be at home unable to have access to any instruction at all,” LaSusa added, stressing that unlike when classes were previously virtual, teachers were then feeling well.

This round, with teachers ill, LaSusa said they are not teaching.

“We can cover classes and engage in all kinds of creative arrangements for staff members when we are in school, but not as much when we are virtual,” he continued, suggesting one option could be an abbreviated day.

“I believe that right now the best thing for the greatest number of kids is to be in school,” he said, stressing the importance for students to interact with each other and their teachers.

Several high schoolers on Monday stopped LaSusa as he walked through the hallways, to thank him for keeping the schools open.

Should the school district need to pivot to complete virtual instruction again, LaSusa said “there is no magic number” as to how many cases would trigger that, but more than 450 students and staff - or 10 percent of the total school population - have reported cases since Thanksgiving.

LaSusa expressed that a year ago, schools would have been closed by that number, but “the risk of serious disease, while not zero, continues to remain low for children relative to other age groups.”

He additionally delved into vaccines, noting over 90 percent of the staff is vaccinated. The percentage of students who have taken at least one dose of the COVID vaccine include: K-3, 65 percent; Lafayette students, 74 percent; Chatham Middle School students, 85 percent; and Chatham High School, 92 percent.

He cautioned parents to be prepared for the possibility of disruptions in transportation and food services, though he said on the first day back, both still operated. LaSusa told parents to have back-up transportation plans ready.

Other adjustments the district has made:

• Livestreamed classes will continue through the week of Jan. 10, with special arrangements potentially made for students, especially at the high school who are using the livestream, to make up assessments after school.
• All parent meetings and conferences are going to remain virtual through January.
• Performing arts event schedules are being changed, with the potential of rescheduling performances scheduled within the next month.
• There’s a possibility that the number of days COVID testing is offered within the district for students, which is currently an option on Fridays at 3 p.m. at the Middle School, will be increased.

Read LaSusa’s full letter here.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a local news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.