Hazlet Students Must Have Negative Test With 8 Day Quarantine

HAZLET, NJ — Hazlet Township Schools Superintendent Scott Ridley said that all quarantined school community members must stay home until they can produce a valid negative test.

After announcing last week that quarantine times would be reduced from 14 to eight days, Ridley clarified that students and staff would still need to test negative before returning to school.

Tests can be taken starting on the sixth day of quarantine. Only PCR or rapid tests are valid, but not home tests.

Ridley said that parents who choose to still keep their students out of school for the full 14 days are free to do so.

"Regardless of how you feel, no one is to return to work or school until a negative reading is registered," he said. "Returning to school before the results are obtained could unintentionally force other students of staff to quarantine. This has already happened more than once."

Only asymptomatic students or staff with no history of exposure taking the test for screening purposes are exempt from this.

"We understand that this is inconvenient. However, COVID is still very much among us, given that the district has experienced almost 90 cases since Thanksgiving and the long holiday break is approaching," Ridley said.

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