Black Horse Pike Schools Not Going Virtual Heading Into 2022

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — The Black Horse Pike Regional School District is prepared for the possibility of going full-remote, but has no plans to, amid a spike in coronavirus cases, according to Superintendent of Schools Brian Repici.

“Right now, BHPRSD will remain holding in-person learning,” Repici said in an email to Patch. “We are prepared with contingency plans if pivoting to a hybrid model is necessary.”

He added that he doesn’t know of any local school districts that are considering going virtual, even as districts across New Jersey are doing just that.

New Jersey reported 9,711 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, the most reported for a single day in the state at any time during the pandemic.

A total of 325 of those cases occurred in Camden County, including 63 in Gloucester Township. Bellmawr reported 4 cases and Runnemede reported none. Those towns are sending districts for the Black Horse Pike Regional School District, which includes Highland, Timber Creek and Triton regional high schools.

Students and staff members who are identified as a close contact of someone who tests positive for COVID-19 only are required to quarantine if they are not vaccinated, according to the recent change by the state Department of Health in its guidelines for student and staff quarantines.

Those who are fully vaccinated or who have had COVID-19 and recovered from it within the last 90 days do not have to quarantine, under the new guidelines.

Those who are required to quarantine can return to school after seven days if a COVID-19 PCR test at the fifth day or beyond comes back negative for the virus. Without testing, unvaccinated students or staff must wait 10 days in quarantine.

Of the 325 new cases in Camden County, 77 are among patients under 18 years old. The average age of the newly infected is 34 years old.

As of Wednesday, there have been 67,532 coronavirus cases and 1,383 coronavirus-related deaths in Camden County since the pandemic began in March 2020.

“We cannot let our guard down when it comes to this virus, the numbers clearly show that this isn’t over,” Camden County Commissioner Director Louis Cappelli, Jr. said in a statement. “As many people plan to gather for the holidays, please use common sense. If you’re feeling sick, don’t go. If you’re interacting with people outside of your household in a crowded space, wear a mask that fits tightly over your mouth and nose. And importantly, get vaccinated and get your booster shot.”

As of Wednesday, 378,713 Camden County residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while 331,059 are fully vaccinated and 116,950 have received a third dose. More information regarding vaccination rates throughout the county and available on the state’s COVID-19 dashboard at covid19.nj.gov.

The Camden County Health Department is continuing to closely track new cases of COVID-19 and information regarding the prevalence of the Delta variant. New cases are often reassigned to other municipalities over the course of an investigation.