BRRSD-2021-01-04-Update to the Community

Good Afternoon,

The purpose of this message is to keep the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District community up to date with the status of in-person instruction as we continue with our Covid-19 mitigation efforts. As stated in prior correspondence, full-day, in-person instruction remains the primary objective, as we seek to offer a consistent, high-quality learning experience for all of the students within the Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District. An announcement regarding school schedules for next week will be sent out at the end of the day on Thursday, January 6th, as we remain hopeful that we can resume full-day scheduling on Monday, January 10th.

Unfortunately, the rapid spread of the Omicron variant has resulted in a number of positive cases throughout the school community. This includes students, teachers, instructional aides, bus drivers, custodians, and other staff members. Any decision to move students towards virtual instruction is contingent on variables beyond our control, specifically the ability to staff our buildings in providing the structures essential for the delivery of instruction. Please understand that any decision to move towards remote instruction will be building-specific, temporary, and only if necessary.

Lastly, as a result of our bus driver shortage, there may be days where particular routes are not staffed. This means that on a given day, parents may need to pick up and drop off their children at school. Should this occur, we will communicate the situation to parents as soon as possible. The Bridgewater-Raritan Regional School District intends to choose this option only when absolutely necessary as the only alternative would be to keep every student throughout the district at home.

Please understand we are doing everything within our power to keep schools open and operating on a full-time basis. Collectively, we are asking the entire Bridgewater-Raritan community to assist us in achieving this goal. As a reminder, parents need to monitor symptoms and keep students home who are exhibiting signs of Covid-19. Again, students who are symptomatic cannot be sent back into the school community prior to contacting the school nurse. If we all work together, we can get through this current situation.

Stay safe,

Robert Beers
Bridgewater-Raritan Superintendent of Schools