FAQs

When would my child have to wear face coverings during the school day?

• Students will be required to wear face coverings at all time.

Who provides face coverings?

• Families are being asked to provide face coverings for their child just as they would be required to do so in any other indoor public setting, as per state guidelines.

• Like other school supplies that families provide, face coverings would be part of the back-to-school necessities.

• Additional face coverings will be available at the school if the family-provided mask becomes unusable at some point during the school day.

What if my child has a medical condition that prevents him or her from wearing a face covering at all or for long stretches of time?

• Parents will have the opportunity to provide medical documentation that demonstrates that wearing a face covering complicates an existing medical condition. (Contact Mrs. Barber for details.)

• Please note that the district has limited options depending on the number of children in a given area who cannot wear face coverings due to medical circumstances, resulting in options that will be communicated to parents on a case by case basis.

What about using the bathrooms and student hallway traffic?

• Wearing a mask into the bathroom is a requirement. No loitering of students in bathrooms will be permitted.

• Students who need special assistance using the bathroom will be supported by staff members who will have appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) available.

• Signs and markers will be present throughout the building and grounds reminding students to socially distance, to utilize hand washing and hand sanitizing techniques and to wear face coverings in appropriate ways.

• Hand sanitizer will be available throughout the building with an enhanced presence at entrances and exits, the main office, bathrooms, the nurse’s office and other hubs within the building.

Will my child get a chance to take the face covering off during the day?

• Students will have to keep face coverings on at any time they are in the school building.

• There will be mask breaks built into the school day by the classroom teacher with social distancing measures in place.

• The district strongly recommends that parents begin having their child practice wearing face coverings in the weeks leading up to October 13th.

How will buildings be cleaned?

• All cleaning protocols follow NJDOE and CDC recommendations and guidelines for cleaning and sanitation with hospital-grade resources.

• Custodial staff will continuously clean and sanitize high traffic areas throughout the day including wiping down door handles and cleaning bathrooms.

• Once staff and students leave for the day a hospital-grade disinfectant will be utilized on every surface in the building.

How will the district meet the requirement for a daily screening of students and staff?

• The state of New Jersey is requiring a daily screening of all students and staff who enter school buildings for any symptoms of COVID-19.

• All families would complete a form where parents attest that they will not send their children to school if they are exhibiting any of the characteristics that are symptoms of COVID-19. Children must be checked by parents every day for those symptoms.

• “If in doubt, keep your child out.” Obtaining an excused absence for a child is as simple as contacting the school through a phone call or email. No doctor’s note is required for short term absences.

• In addition, school staff will be monitoring students for any symptoms or signs of discomfort every day.

• Finally, there will be an online health screener for parents to utilize at home before you send your child to school. That screener can be filled out and submitted from any device.

• Staff members are temperature checked and screened each day before entry into the building.

What if a student exhibits potential symptoms of COVID-19 during the school day or tests positive for COVID-19?

• There are a set of state guidelines that direct the steps that the district must take given by the Cumberland County Health Department.

• Students will be quarantined and closely (and safely) monitored until a parent can arrive to transport the student home.

What if I need to visit the school during the school day to pick something up or drop something off for my child? What if I need to pick up my child during the middle of the school day?

• For parents who need to visit the school while instruction is taking place, we ask that you contact us ahead of time - as best you are able. Please know that depending on how many other visitors are inside the lobby or the main office, we may have to ask you to wait outside for a time to practice social distancing.

• Please understand that anyone who enters the building, including parents, will be asked to complete a self-evaluation acknowledgement that they do not have any symptoms of COVID-19. In addition, temperature screenings may be implemented at some point.

• We ask that parents minimize picking up and dropping off materials for students unless they are essential. We do understand that students forget things and, more importantly, emergent life situations may require you to pick up a child on very short notice.

• The best approach is to call ahead and let the main office know what you need. They may ask you to drop an item in an outside bin as opposed to entering the building. They may ask you to call back when you arrive and they will contact you while you wait in your car until your child is ready to be picked up.

• Any other visitors to the building, including mail and package delivery, vendors or outside workers, will all be required to complete the self-check health evaluation along with whatever other protocols may be put in place.

What about substitutes?

• We are putting together a training program for all the district substitutes that reviews COVID-19 protocols in our buildings.

• All substitutes will be subject to the same daily evaluation that the rest of the staff members go through.

What about athletics?

• At this point fall sports have been cancelled we are waiting for more direction for Winter Sports.

What if the state of NJ closes the school completely like they did in the spring of 2020 and we revert to all virtual instruction again for everyone?

• We have skilled and accomplished educators who are already proficient in delivering robust and meaningful instruction in a virtual environment. Our experiences in the Spring have only made us stronger in that area.

• This topic will be an ongoing area of professional development once school opens so that we are prepared for any possibility.

Can I opt my child out of whichever of these two scheduling options gets chosen?

• On July 20th, Governor Murphy announced that parents will have the option to choose a 100% virtual education for their child(ren). It is incredibly important that you complete the survey if you would like to choose this option as opposed to an in-person schedule (that is still to be decided upon).

• Parents can choose a virtual educational option for any reason that they want.

Will after school care be available?

• Yes the SACC program will be available for students. There is room for 40 students and it will be a first come first serve basis. More information will be available next week.

Do you have more questions? You can submit them here.