Cherry Hill Schools Preparing For Upcoming Year Amid Pandemic

CHERRY HILL, NJ — The Cherry Hill Public School District has begun receiving relief funding as part of the Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan, and the district has started using that money to prepare for the upcoming academic year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The district has used the money to buy more than 1,000 air purifiers, Superintendent of Schools Joseph Meloche said during a news conference with county and health officials on Wednesday.

The district is also updating controls in the buildings for the HVAC systems that are being replaced in buildings throughout the district, which returns to school Sept. 9. Read more here: Back To School: 2021-22 School Calendars In Cherry Hill

“We are thankful for the moneys that we have received so far and the moneys that we will receive over the next 18 months or so,” Meloche said. “We are a large school district, 19 schools and a little bit over 1.7 million square feet of school space. Our HVAC systems, a majority of them are original to the schools, which means they’re well over 50 years old.”

They also spent money on additional summer programs to help students who may have fallen behind during remote learning amid the coronavirus pandemic. They’re also working on integrating many students back into the school buildings.

All students are advised to practice wearing masks now in preparation for spending more than six hours a day in school, where wearing masks will be mandatory. Read more here: Cherry Hill Schools Mull Masking Rules As Delta Variant Hits NJ

“We’re trying to rebuild what school looks like. Everyone’s going to go through a transition piece,” Meloche said. “In our high schools, only our seniors have spent a full year in school.”

The issue of wearing masks is one that the district has been discussing, even before Gov. Phil Murphy announced that students, educators, staff and visitors must wear masks in New Jersey schools, regardless of vaccination status, at least to start the year. Read more here: NJ K-12 Students Must Wear Masks This Fall, Gov. Murphy Says

The mandate comes as more children are being infected with the coronavirus due to the spread of the delta variant.

Virtua Health Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jennifer Khelil said the number of hospitalizations has vastly increased among both children and adults in the last five or six weeks, jumping from a handful to several dozen. Most of them have not been vaccinated, she said.

“We are also seeing an uptick in children presenting to our emergency departments with upper respiratory illnesses,” Khelil said. “We have had to transfer children from our hospital system into Philadelphia for higher level care. We are seeing people getting very, very sick, very, very quickly, and it is something we have to have a very healthy respect for.”

Meloche implored parents who are opposed to mask mandates or any other aspect of the school district’s reopening plan to contact the district directly.

“Families, please don’t put your children in an uncomfortable situation by trying to have your children go against what the mandates are for the school,” Meloche said. “As an adult if you have an issue, contact the adults at the school and have that discussion separately.”

Camden County has seen 75 new cases a day for the last week. The infection rate is 1.3 percent, the test positivity rate is 5.3 percent, and hospitalizations have increased by 23 percent, officials said.
County officials are urging those who are immunocompromised to get their third shot, which Camden County Assistant Public Health Coordinator Caryelle Lasher said just completes the series for the immunocompromised and doesn’t constitute a booster shot. Read more here: 3rd Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine Now Available In Camden County

On Wednesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced booster shots would be available as of Sept. 20. It is strongly recommended that when getting a booster shot, residents get the same series they got in the first two shots, Lasher said.

Residents don’t need to go to the same place they got their first two shots, though. Camden County Commissioner Jonathan Young said the county is in discussions to reopen the COVID-19 vaccination center at Camden County College, but no final decision has been made yet.

As of Tuesday, there have been 51,515 cases of the coronavirus and 1,242 coronavirus-related deaths in Camden County since the pandemic began in March 2020.

As of Tuesday, 311,259 Camden County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 282,260 are fully vaccinated.

The Salvation Army Kroc Center in Camden City provides vaccinations every Thursday, 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the county is hosting pop-up clinics in areas with low vaccination rates.

Services, including testing and vaccinations, remain available in community pharmacies, hospitals, and from other local providers.

More information regarding Camden County's preparations and response related to the COVID-19 pandemic is available by visiting camdencounty.com.

Anyone who has any questions about the vaccine can contact their healthcare provider. Caregivers or representatives of immunocompromised individuals can call the New Jersey Vaccine Call Center at 855-568-0545 for additional guidance. To find a vaccination location in New Jersey, visit covid19.nj.com/finder.