Virtual January 2022

Covid Update & School Return
Posted on 01/02/2022
Dear Parent/Guardians, Staff, and Community Members,

As many of you know, the Omicron variant has been running rampant through many communities over the last several weeks.  On Wednesday, December 29th, we coordinated a district-wide covid testing clinic at the Middle High School.  Nearly 400 staff, students, and parents participated in our clinic.  The lab has been slowly sending out results because of the backlog of cases (They run positive test results twice).   Nearly 250 test results have already been reported to individuals.  Unfortunately, 40% of those results are positive for Covid-19.  The percentage of covid cases in our community is alarming, and I suspect the holiday gatherings have contributed to the transmission rate.  

South Amboy Public Schools will go virtual for one week from Monday, January 3rd to Friday, January 7th.  Our schools will follow the regular, full-day schedule, and students will be expected to log into their respective teacher Google Meet classes during their scheduled times.  School principals will send out additional information, including any distribution of Chromebooks for students in Kindergarten to 2nd grade.  Students in grades 3 through 12 have assigned Chromebooks as part of our 1-1 Chromebook initiative.  Grab and go meals will be served from the Middle High School auditorium Tuesday & Thursday from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

This decision was made in collaboration with the Middlesex County Health Department.  It is our hope the additional week will help the transmission rate subside before we bring our students back for in-person instruction.  While we understand this may be an inconvenience for many, our number one priority to ensure the safety of our students and staff.  I believe this decision follows the science and data currently available to us.

Be well, and stay safe.

Jorge E. Diaz
Superintendent