Long Valley Middle School Students Return To In-Person Classes

LONG VALLEY, NJ — It was about 10 days ago when the district’s superintendent announced all Long Valley Middle Schoolers would be learning remotely, with students and teachers readying to return to their classrooms on Thursday morning.

In an email to Patch on Wednesday afternoon, Dr. Peter Turnamian, superintendent of Washington Township Schools, confirmed Long Valley Middle School “will reopen for full in-person instruction tomorrow [Thursday].”

Sixth graders were only initially slated to go remote after nine of them tested positive for COVID, following a PTA social event, a two-hour “blacklight bounce party” on Nov. 19 at the Sky Zone in Mount Olive.

The day before Thanksgiving Turnamian sent a letter to families and staff stating the local health department had found “sufficient evidence to define an outbreak directly impacting our sixth grade.”

At that time, the district anticipated that sixth graders would stay remote through Dec. 6, with all middle school before and after school activities suspended until that date.

RELATED: Long Valley Students Go Remote After COVID Outbreak At PTA Event

As the Thanksgiving weekend was underway, there was a change in plans. Turnamian reached back to families and staff, with the case count climbing to 29.

"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, with the decision made to transition the entire school to remote learning following the holiday.

RELATED: All Long Valley Middle Schoolers Go Virtual After COVID Outbreak

The school then planned on the Dec. 9 reopening date, after 35 cases “directly associated with the outbreak” at the Middle School, with a few at some of the other schools in the district.

On Nov. 30, 20 of the cases were reported over the previous 24 hours from the Middle School, which having already transitioned to remote learning, Turnamian said there were “no school related close contacts.”

RELATED: Long Valley School Aims To Reopen Dec. 9 After COVID Outbreak

At that time, Turnamian told district families and staff that because of a significant increase in positive cases, it was decided with the local health department, the quarantine period would be “10 days with no test out option.”

If the state levels had been classified as “high,” there was then a possibility that the school would be required to have a 14-day quarantine.

Click here for all of the Washington Township Schools' COVID statistics and updates.

Questions or comments about this story? Have a local news tip? Contact me at: jennifer.miller@patch.com.