Black Horse Pike Schools Outline Plan For Safe Reopening

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — The Black Horse Pike Regional School District has posted its plans for a safe reopening of schools come September, and it is reaching out to the community for feedback.

Its plan mirrors that of the Gloucester Township K-8 Public School District, as both superintendents seek a return to normal operations.

This includes the formation of a "Road Forward Committee," which has already begun planning for the 2021-22 academic year.

Schools will be open five full days a week, with all students required to attend in-person. The district will continue to follow the Department of Health's quarantine guidelines.

In cases in which students or staff must quarantine because they have health conditions that make them more susceptible to the coronavirus, remote instruction may be offered.

The plans are the result of a template the State Department of Education sent out in late May, after Gov. Phil Murphy announced that all New Jersey school districts must return to a full in-person learning model with no remote option. Read more here: NJ Lifts COVID Travel Advisory, Orders In-Person School Next Year

The district will take feedback from the public that will help shape the plan. Feedback can be given via this survey. The board of education next meets on July 22, 4 p.m. at the district administrative office.

Students returning to school in the fall will have the option of wearing face coverings, although all students and staff who have not yet been vaccinated will be encouraged to do so, according to a copy of the plan posted on the district's website.

Masks will be required for all passengers on school buses, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) federal order.

The district will follow social distancing guidance of 3 feet in all classrooms, where possible. When not possible, the district will implement supplemental barriers.

In lunchrooms, though, district officials expect that spacing will be 3 feet or less. Students will be distanced to the greatest extent possible, officials said.

While students will be socially distanced as much as possible on school buses, there is no guarantee that they will be able to follow the previous social distancing guidelines that were in effect.

The district will continue to follow enhanced cleaning procedures established during the pandemic including the daily disinfection of school buses each evening.

"Additional adjustments may be made after staff and community comment," officials said. "A complete/final plan will be shared in early August."

“On behalf of the Black Horse Pike Regional Board of Education, I want to thank you for your support and hope all of you enjoy your summer,” Superintendent of Schools Brian Repici said in a statement on the district website.