UPDATED: 8:45 a.m.
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) -- The Cherry Hill School District is pushing back plans to return students to school buildings this week. Officials say dozens of students tested positive for COVID-19.
Tuesday was supposed to be the day Cherry Hill would shift from all-remote learning to a hybrid plan including classroom time. However, Cherry Hill School Superintendent Dr. Joe Meloche said he got a call and an email from the Camden County Health Department with concerning news.
“That more than three-dozen children in our community, between the ages of 7 and 18, have tested positive with COVID-19 since Saturday afternoon,” Meloche said in a video message to the school community.
“The department of health has recommended that we not bring children back to our schools at this time. We must follow the recommendations of the department of health and err on the side of safety for our students and our staff members.”
Related
Neither in the video nor a letter posted on the district’s website did Meloche go into detail about the students' conditions. A Camden County spokesman says family gatherings and indoor get-togethers seem to be linked to many of the cases among the students. There does not appear to be a singular event where they all were infected.
The goal now is to implement the hybrid learning schedules the week of Nov. 30, after the Thanksgiving holiday.
Meloche, local and state officials are urging people to be cautious because COVID numbers have been going way up. Camden County officials reported 524 new confirmed cases since Saturday.