Winter Outdoor Lunch Tents Arrive At NJ Schools

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The Montclair Public School District has put up “heavy-duty” outdoor tents in an attempt to keep students warm as they eat lunch outside this winter, officials say.

Superintendent Jonathan Ponds announced plans to continue having outdoor lunches and recess periods “as long as possible” in the district to help prevent coronavirus infections. Read More: Montclair Schools To Continue Outdoor Lunch 'As Long As Possible'

“If the Real Feel temperature outside is 40 degrees or below, the elementary and middle school building administrators will look at a variety of other variables such as wind, precipitation and cloud coverage in order to determine if students will eat lunch inside or outside that day,” Ponds said.

Since the high school has an open campus, students can choose to eat inside or outside, he said.

The superintendent previously said the district planned to buy "heavy-duty tents" to help keep students warm during colder temperatures. Those tents have arrived and are in operation, he said in a Friday update.

Ponds wrote:

“As I mentioned in my last update, our building principals are watching the weather daily to determine if students can eat lunch outdoors. One of the most important ways we can mitigate the spread of COVID is to stay outside as much as possible. Luckily we’ve had some milder conditions for December, but as an extra layer of protection against the elements, we have purchased large, heavy-duty, professionally-installed tents and they are operable at all of our elementary and middle schools. These tents will allow students to eat outdoors more comfortably during the winter months as they are equipped with sides to shield the wind.”

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