West Morris Mendham H.S. Gears Up For Return To School On Aug. 25

MENDHAM, NJ — Students heading back to West Morris Mendham High School this fall are expecting to have a full in-person experience as it was in pre-pandemic times, with some modifications, as they return for their first day on Aug. 25.

What will that landscape look like for students going back to school?

“While vaccination for COVID-19 is not required for entry to school as is immunization for other pathogens, the CDC recommends that all teachers, staff and eligible students be vaccinated, as it is the lead measure within a layer of prevention strategies for schools,” Principal Steve Ryan wrote in a recent letter to families.

“With that said,” Ryan added, “we expect to have a mix of vaccinated, partially vaccinated and unvaccinated persons in our school every day.”

Ryan said by Aug. 20, parents should report each student’s vaccination status to the school, with this form.

For the 2021-2022 school year, there will be mandatory masking, per Governor Phil Murphy's Executive Order 251, with it required in schools except for specific circumstances, as well as on school buses, whether or not a student or school staff member is vaccinated.

Though a daily health check won't be mandated in the 2021-2022 school year, if students are sick, parents should keep them out of school. COVID-19 diagnoses and symptomatic cases should immediately be reported to the school nurses Cheryl Wilson at cwilson@wmrhsd.org or Danielle Pulver at dpulver@wmrhsd.org.

When will students need to quarantine if they've been a close contact of someone with COVID-19?
For unvaccinated students that will be 10 days, where they won't be allowed to school or to participate in extracurricular activities. Vaccinated students who are asymptomatic won't need to quarantine.

Remote access to school is only for students with a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, those identified as a close contact of someone diagnosed or someone waiting for the results of a COVID-19 test. For more about West Morris Mendham’s attendance policies, click here.

Families with questions should refer to the school's COVID-19 guidance document here.

Parents should also know:

• School lunches will be served, with students eating inside and outside, in a socially distant way. Students may be unmasked as they’re actively eating their lunches. Parents are encouraged to use MySchoolBucks to limit cash payments and prepay student meals. Among food choices, there will be pre-packaged salads and sandwiches.
• Teachers will keep a record of each student's seat on a daily basis for contact tracing, with desks spaced six feet apart from each other.
• High-touch areas will be routinely cleaned throughout each classroom and school.
• Hand sanitizers and disinfecting wipes will be accessible to both students and staff throughout the high school.

For more information, see Ryan’s full letter here.

For the links to documents for the 2021-2022 school year click here.

For more questions, contact West Morris Mendham High School at 973-543-2501.

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