Hazlet Schools Report 6 New COVID-19 Cases: District

HAZLET, NJ — Six new positive cases of COVID-19 have been detected within Hazlet Township Public Schools just a few days into the start of the school year. Every school remains open at this time.

The school district announced Friday morning that a number of individuals have been placed into quarantine and that contract tracing had been completed. A precise number of those in quarantine was not immediately available.

In some cases, the person who tested positive in the district had no recent contact with the school community, so no further action was needed.

The district also announced that it will begin posting an update of new case totals on its website every Friday morning before noon.

Here is the most recent breakdown of COVID-19 cases by school, per Hazlet Township Public Schools:

• Raritan High School: One new case. Contact tracing has been completed and quarantines are in place as needed.
• Hazlet Middle School: One new case. Contact tracing has been completed and quarantines are in place as needed.
• Cove Road School: One new case. Contact tracing has been completed and quarantines are in place as needed.
• Beers Street School: One new case. The individual has had no recent contact with the district and no further action was needed.
• Middle Road School: One new case. The individual has had no recent contact with the district and no further action was needed.
• Raritan Valley School: One new case. The individual has had no recent contact with the district and no further action was needed.

The district said it will continue to monitor and coordinate cases as the situation evolves and that stakeholders from individual schools where cases occur will be notified within 36 hours.

There is no set number of positive COVID-19 cases that would trigger a school shut down, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Scott Ridley told Patch on Friday. Instead, administrators will monitor every case individually with the "intention of making a decision that prioritizes health and safety in all situations."

Earlier this week, it was announced that masks would be optional in school buses for a limited time period (until Friday) because of the weather forecast, which is an exception the state-wide mandate allows for. Read more: Masks In Hazlet School Buses Optional Until Friday

Last week, Superintendent of Schools Scott Ridley noted in a video message that, as the school year progresses, issues that may arise regarding COVID-19 response and other aspects of school life are going to be resolved.

"Not every bus will run on time, not every desk will have plexiglass and not every learning environment will be ideal from the start," Ridley said. "We will figure it out together. Slowly but surely we are moving in a good direction."