PRINCETON, NJ — Less than a week after introducing a preliminary plan to reopen schools in September, Princeton Public Schools (PPS) has released a revised plan.
Among the changes to the plan include pushing the start of the new school year to Monday, Sept. 14, instead of on Wednesday, Sept. 9 for most students.
Other revisions and changes to the plan include:
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PPS can transport students home at 1 p.m. daily with the exception of Pre-K and students in self-contained Special Ed classes who will be bused home at 3 p.m. PPS has investigated every possible option with their contracted bus service provider and there is no option of split session bus transportation. Siblings will be transported at the same hours when possible.
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In-person schooling for most students will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. From 1 to 3 pm, teachers will provide online contact and instruction to learners. This enables teachers to hold students accountable for their remote learning assignments from earlier in the day and to assess their progress.
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PPS will provide a focused professional-development (PD) program for all teachers and aides so they can provide rigorous, standards-based instruction for both in-person and remote learning formats. We will take advantage of the 1:1 initiative that places computers in the hands of all students. Aides will receive devices so they can effectively support students and teachers.
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After-school activities, clubs, and events won’t resume until January 2021.
“We always indicated that the preliminary plan was a work-in-progress and we wanted to get something out to the community and the Board of Education so people could react,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Barry Galasso. “We knew we would be changing and finalizing our plan after we had input from our community. We will continue to refine this plan and, as we get more data points, it will change again.”
The initial reopening plan was released on July 16. See the initial plan here. The revised plan was released on Monday.
Gov. Phil Murphy also announced on Monday that New Jersey will provide a remote-learning option for schools amid the coronavirus outbreak. Murphy said the Department of Education will provide guidance later this week for parents that will allow them to opt for all-remote learning for their children this fall. Read More: NJ To Offer Remote-Learning Option For Schools Amid Coronavirus
A finalized plan is expected by Aug.3, which will then be sent to the Mercer County Superintendent and the NJ Department of Education for approval. It then will be disseminated to parents and the public to allow time to make arrangements in regards to child care.
Galasso said the Board is also working with local organizations such as the Princeton YMCA to offer child care opportunities for parents in need.
See the revised plan below:
Princeton Revised Reopening Plan July 20 by Alexis Tarrazi on Scribd
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This article originally appeared on the Princeton Patch
