Princeton High School Goes Remote Due To Staff Shortage
PRINCETON, NJ – Princeton High School will be remote for this week due to staffing concerns related to the pandemic, the school district announced Sunday. The district said there are enough teachers to open all schools except the high school.
This also follows a petition by a student, calling for virtual learning, “amid a raging pandemic.”
“We appreciate the fact that many parents will need to keep their students home on Monday, and we will work to provide the most robust options possible for students who will be remote,” Superintendent Carol Kelley said in an email. “At the same time, we believe that for many students being in school is the best possible option, and we continue to strive to keep schools open.”
Kelley told parents and guardians that if necessary, the district will switch to remote learning on a class-by-class or school-by-school basis to “minimize the number of students who are remote.”
For students attending in-person, food options will be "limited" as Nutri-Serve, the food services provider, is short-staffed because of COVID-19, Kelley said. "If possible, please have your students bring a lunch, because this will expedite the lunch process," she said.
She also emphasized wearing a "high-quality mask,” like the KN95, N95 or surgical mask. “We discourage sending students to school in cloth masks during this period of heightened transmission,” Kelley said.
A few days ago, a petition began making the rounds, calling on school authorities to offer virtual classes to high school students.
“With high schools and universities around the country transitioning to a virtual or hybrid option, Princeton needs to be the next. The district must offer a temporary asynchronous option for students who want to stay safe in their learning amid a raging pandemic,” the petition said.
Various school districts have gone remote over the past few days, including Lawrence Township and South Brunswick.
"Forcing us to decide between skipping school or exposing ourselves to COVID is something the district should not pose to us. As students, we should feel comfortable in our learning environment, rather than worrying about a virus threatening our livelihood," the petition said.
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This article originally appeared on the Princeton Patch
