WOOLWICH TWP. – The increased number of positive COVID cases, as well as the need for quarantining of students and staff, have caused Kingsway High School and Middle School, East Greenwich Elementary Schools, Logan Township Schools and Swedesboro/Woolwich Schools to switch to all remote learning for students for a time period.
The only school still on their original learning mode at this time is the South Harrison Township Elementary School.
The Swedesboro Woolwich Schools were set to reopen to their hybrid learning on Nov. 30 but the date was changed to a tentative reopening on Dec. 7.
A letter from Swedesboro Woolwich Superintendent Dr. Kristin O’Neil on Nov. 20 stated, “Unfortunately, this morning, the District learned of additional positive test results among our SWSD family which resulted in two full classes of quarantined students and additional quarantined SWSD staff. As of today, the District has quarantined a total of 18 staff as compared to 10 staff identified yesterday for COVID-19 related reasons. Yesterday, a total of 13 staff were quarantined based on all of the possible recommended factors outlined in NJDOH criteria, and today there are a total of 21 staff districtwide meeting this quarantine criteria.”
A letter dated Nov. 18 stated that the school would transition to all remote beginning Friday, Nov. 20 and would evaluate if it was safe for both students and staff to return on Nov. 30.
O’Neil stated that 10 staff members had begun isolation or quarantine because of close contact and this resulted in a growing concern about the consistency and quality of instruction. She said there was also an increasing number of students entering quarantine as well as positive test results and others still awaiting test results.
A letter from the East Greenwich Superintendent Andrea Evans dated Nov. 17 stated that there were two positive students, one each in the Samuel Mickle and Jeffrey Clark School. That was the third positive case in two days for them. Because of this and the mandatory quarantining, the school transitioned to fully remote from Nov. 18 through Dec. 2.
Logan Elementary switched to all remote learning for Nov. 19 and 20 due to positive cases.
Kingsway High School and Middle Schools were the first to go to all remote learning. According to a letter sent from Superintendent James Lavender on Nov. 11, the decision to go all remote was due to a number of reported positive cases stemming from fall recess.
In two days, there were more than 40 positive cases and almost 300 students were quarantined. “Additionally, we have received 60 new reports and recognize that we cannot realistically investigate (contact trace) each case in time to safely open school on Thursday,” Lavender wrote. The all remote was originally until Nov. 13 but was extended until Nov. 30.
— By Karen E. Viereck, Editor/Publisher
