SOUTH JERSEY (KYW Newsradio) — Starting Monday, middle and high school students in Millville will move to an early dismissal schedule for a month as the district battles COVID-19-related staffing issues.
In-person instruction is the top priority for Superintendent Tony Trongone. He said the learning loss that comes with online instruction is something to avoid at all costs, and the early dismissal schedule is the best option at the moment.
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“We didn’t want the solution to be to push the button and go all virtual because we know the impact that it has on kids long term,” he explained.
Because the southern part of New Jersey is lagging behind a couple of weeks with COVID-19 numbers, they are actually seeing peak case numbers in the last week or two, which has resulted in more teacher call-outs and very few replacements available.
So far, no retired teachers have made themselves available as part of a New Jersey bill signed earlier this month.
Because the schools have been so short-staffed, 150 or so students at a time have been sent to the cafeteria or the gym to work on their laptops, with just a few teachers there for supervision — not for teaching.
Trongone said the early dismissal option is all hands on deck in the classrooms while the students are in school, and the teachers get their breaks when the students leave, rather than scrambling to fill holes during a full day.
“We talked to the teachers union and we put the prep and the lunch at the end of the school day when students are not there, and then we’re able to reallocate resources, meaning staff, to cover for staff that are not in,” he said.
Lakeside Middle, Memorial High and Millville Senior High schools will start early dismissal on Monday. The schedule will remain in place through at least Feb. 25.
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