Manchester Schools Delay Plan For 5-Day In-Person Instruction

MANCHESTER, NJ — The Manchester Township School District is postponing its plans to move to five days a week of in-person instruction due to the sharp rise in coronavirus cases in the area, the district announced Tuesday.

Superintendent David Trethaway announced the delay in a letter to parents posted on the district's website.

"Due to the increases in positive cases throughout schools in the county and with the upcoming school breaks, it is not the safest or optimal time to bring all of our students back for a five-day schedule of in-person instruction," Trethaway said. "However this remains our ultimate goal and we will continue to prepare for this schedule by increasing our safety protocols and having discussions with the Ocean County Board of Health."

He did not give a timetable for when the shift to five days of in-person instruction might happen.

Students who had wanted to switch from fully remote learning to hybrid instruction will be permitted to do so, with the change taking effect Nov. 30, Trethaway said. Parents who have not heard from the school by Friday should call the office of their child's school, he said.

The number of coronavirus cases in the state has risen by more than 25,000 in the last eight days, and Ocean County has seen 1,200 new cases since Nov. 8. Hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have risen by 800 cases, from 1,539 on Nov. 8 to more than 2,300 as of Monday.

In Manchester, there are nearly 100 new cases in that time, and three additional deaths, giving the township 1,152 cases and 168 deaths. Lakehurst has 62 cases, up from 53 on Nov. 8, according to the Ocean County Health Department.

"At this time, our priority is to approve parent requests for students who are currently on remote-only learning to return to in-person instruction in all grades, Pre-K to grade 12, on a hybrid schedule," Trethaway said. "This will allow us to continue to ensure the proper social distancing."

The district had surveyed parents to find out how many wanted to shift to more days of in-person instruction — Manchester students currently attend two days a week in person and have three days of remote instruction, the schedule they have followed since the start of the school year — and was anticipated to announce plans at Wednesday's Board of Education meeting.

Manchester has had a few positive cases but they resulted from situations outside of school, Trethaway said. "On a positive note, due to the many safeguards we have put in place, there has been no indication of any positive cases initiating or spreading in the district," which he attributed to the safety precautions that have been taken, and he praised parents, students and staff for their cooperation.

"While we all know the importance of returning students to in-person instruction, that decision must always be based on the health and safety of our staff and students," Trethaway said. "This is a very fluid situation and it can change at any time ... I understand the frustration that we are all experiencing and I want to thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we continue to make decisions based on the health and safety of our students and staff. "

"Hopefully the situation will improve and we will be able to move forward and transition back to a five-day schedule in the near future," he said.

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