COVID Pivots Chatham Schools To Early Dismissal Schedule

CHATHAM, NJ — All schools within the School District of the Chathams are on an early dismissal schedule for the upcoming week before the holiday because of the increase in COVID cases within the school and community, Superintendent Dr. Michael LaSusa said.

In a letter on the school’s website, plus a special alert on the homepage, LaSusa reported he was in touch with the health department locally on Sunday.

“COVID cases have continued to rise quickly over the weekend and have affected all age levels of school children and the general community,” he wrote. “After discussing all of the options and the benefits and drawbacks of each, we have agreed that the district will transition to an Early Dismissal schedule for all schools every day of this week.”

The dismissal times for each of the schools include:

Chatham High School: 12:00 p.m.

Chatham Middle School: 12:00 p.m.

Lafayette Avenue School: 12:45 p.m.

SBS, WAS, and MAS: 12:35 p.m.

AM Kindergarten: 8:35 a.m. – 10:35 a.m.

PM Kindergarten: 10:35 a.m. – 12:35 p.m.

AM Pre-School: 8:40 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

PM Pre-School: 10:40 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Full-Day Pre-School: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

“Principals,” LaSusa continued, “will communicate additional scheduling details for each school.

He said lunch won’t be provided within the schools, though the district was “working on possibly allowing lunch to be ordered and then distributed upon dismissal.”

LaSusa has stressed in recent letters and at the last Board of Education meeting, the importance of keeping schools open and avoiding the transition to full remote learning, which he said would only be necessary should a staffing issue arise.

That could occur, he said, if staff members need to call out to "take care of a sick or quarantining child," themselves.

RELATED: Chatham COVID School Cases Spike But District To Remain Open
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"Fortunately," LaSusa had said, "we have not reached this moment as of now, thanks in large part to the efforts of our existing staff to cover vacant positions on a daily basis."

At the end of the past week, LaSusa acknowledged a surge in COVID cases at the high school especially, stating schools would stay open, though they would all begin live-streamed classes on Monday, after announcing between Nov. 20 and Dec. 17 at all schools, the case counts were:

Chatham High School - 56
Chatham Middle School - 23
Lafayette Avenue School - 12
Milton Avenue School - 4
Southern Boulevard School - 6
Washington Avenue School - 12

Letter Addresses Attendance, District Communications, Quarantining

LaSusa addressed other topics in his Dec. 19 letter, including the district’s attendance policy, general communications and quarantining.

On each topic, he said:

Attendance: There will be no penalties for absences during the coming week or the week after the holiday break or potential loss-of-credit, LaSusa explained. Each student who is absent for any reason, can go to their class on Google Meet, with some exceptions when live-streaming isn’t a possibility. Normally, he said a student is allowed verified, excused absences, such as when there’s a doctor’s appointment or a death in their family. However, students who reach the 16 maximum absences at the high school-level, could face a “loss-of-credit status,” he wrote. Those are then evaluated on a case-by-case basis with families.

Communication: He addressed the TikTok threat of school violence on Dec. 17 that influenced many districts and police departments to write about the topic. LaSusa said it was a “non-credible rumor circulating on a social media platform,” which he knew about by Dec. 16. After speaking with “multiple law enforcement officials on Dec. 16 and 17, LaSusa said he declined to send out a districtwide notice, with concerns about heightening the anxiety of students. He said it could also set a precedence that all “anonymous and baseless rumors” in the future would need to be handled the same way and “reduce the attention that serious and credible threats deserve.”

RELATED: Chatham School Chief Faces Upset For Not Addressing TikTok Threat

Quarantining: He said that the district is “actively pursuing” the possibility of following a CDC model after the New Year that has a “test-to-stay” approach for unvaccinated students to continue to attend “so long as they test negative for COVID on a determined schedule.”

For LaSusa’s full letter, click here.

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