NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — The New Brunswick school district announced this week that all classes will be virtual for two weeks following winter break.
The school district said it was doing this “as a precautionary measure.” The district made this announcement Tuesday.
New Brunswick is not alone in pivoting to all-virtual instruction as cases surge in New Jersey and nationwide: The South Orange-Maplewood school district announced school will be all virtual for one week after break, with in-person classes resuming Jan. 10.
Winter break for New Brunswick public schools ends Jan. 3 and for the following two weeks, all students will learn from home, for entirely virtual classes. Students will physically return back to New Brunswick public schools on Jan. 18.
Earlier in 2021, the New Brunswick school district was the recipient of a large donation from Verizon that provided every student with a Chromebook laptop.
“We are regularly monitoring the COVID-19 reported cases in the state, Middlesex County and within our community,” said New Brunswick schools superintendent Aubrey Johnson in this letter home to parents. “As of today, the COVID-19 activity level for our region (Central East Region) is high and, within the next couple weeks, we anticipate an increase in COVID-19 cases due to the Delta and Omicron variant.”
However, he did not say how many students or teachers have tested positive, however the whole district has been closed for winter break.
“As a precautionary measure we are returning to virtual instruction for two weeks, effective Monday, January 3, 2022, with an anticipated return to in-person learning on Tuesday, January 18,” said Johnson. “As part of our plan to maintain the continuity of teaching and learning we will be implementing our District’s Emergency Virtual Instruction Plan. Our parent guide will provide information related to daily instruction, student attendance, learning from home, and support for parents and students.”
The New Brunswick school district will still be providing free lunch and breakfast at all school locations between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. each day.
“Within the next couple weeks, we will reevaluate the COVID-19 positivity rates within our school community and determine next steps, with a goal to return to in-person instruction as soon as possible,” the New Brunswick superintendent also said. “As a reminder, health officials warn people to stay away from shopping malls, community centers and other places where large groups gather since the virus is easily spread from person-to-person.”
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This article originally appeared on the New Brunswick Patch
