Chatham's Schools Open Amid Uncertainty

CHATHAM, NJ—School District of the Chathams students returned to instruction on Tuesday, after a tumultuous summer of change and uncertainty.

Following Gov. Phil Murphy's change of directives on Aug. 12, which allowed schools in New Jersey to offer remote-only instruction, Chatham superintendent Michael LaSusa announced the start of school would be pushed back one week, to Sept. 8.

"Despite assurances to the contrary, our desk shields have not yet arrived," said a statement from LaSusa on Aug. 22. "Delaying the start of school will allow us to receive the desk shields and distribute them to classrooms throughout the district."

The district installed its protective equipment and measures, despite the delays, on time for today's start. New protocols were also put in place for students who are attending in person. These include masks, social distancing, hand sanitizer, desk shields, and other preventative measures.

The district has been remote-only since March, when schools were ordered to halt in-person learning.

LaSusa has been in favor of in-person instruction throughout the summer, speaking about the positives at a board of education meeting in late August.

"The gains and benefits of having students in school, even if its not perfect, outweigh shutting schools down for all virtual," he said. "The department of health has indicated that we should try to open schools, so I feel that it's my job to find a way to do that as safely as possible."