Schools
All Long Valley Middle Schoolers Go Virtual After COVID Outbreak
With 29 positive COVID cases so far after a PTA 6th grade social, the district's superintendent has directed the entire school to go remote.
LONG VALLEY, NJ — A COVID outbreak stemming from a sixth grade PTA social has forced all Long Valley Middle School students to virtual through Dec. 8.
The original plan made the day before Thanksgiving was for all sixth graders to stay virtual until Dec. 6 after about nine of them who attended a two-hour “blacklight bounce party” on Nov. 19 that the Long Valley PTA hosted at the Sky Zone in Mount Olive, tested positive for COVID after the event.
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Superintendent Dr. Peter Turnamian made the decision this past Saturday instead to undergo a school-wide remote plan, explaining in a letter to the entire Washington Township Schools community on Saturday that “school nurses and leaders continued to receive reports of positive cases and conducted contact tracing,” since Thanksgiving.
“Presently, 29 positive cases of COVID-19 have been reported linked to the Sky Zone event, with additional cases also linked with siblings associated with the event,” Turnamian said.
Find out what's happening in Long Valleyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
RELATED: Long Valley Students Go Remote After COVID Outbreak At PTA Event
In coordinating with the district’s medical inspector and local health department, Turnamian said the decision was made to have all students stay fully remote in the Middle School, the current return date for in-person instruction planned by Thursday, Dec. 9.
The morning announcement on Monday posted for Long Valley Middle School students and staff on the school’s website notified them all of the timeframe remote learning would likely stay in effect.
“With this significant spike in cases, the sooner we stop the spread, the sooner we can safely return to full, in-person instruction,” Turnamian added.
He said as positive cases increase and students begin socializing outside of school activities, “the contact tracing becomes increasingly complicated.”
“By implementing the most aggressive mitigation strategy quickly," Turnamian wrote, “our aim is to halt additional transmission as soon as possible.”
To read Turnamian’s full letter, which additionally offered COVID-19 resources including testing sites and medical providers, click here.
Questions or comments about this story? Have a news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.
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