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Thursday remains the first day of school, but it will all be done virtually, Superintendent Sean Adams said.
"While circumstances dictated the need for this adjustment, it is nonetheless an extremely disappointing turn of events for our students, parents/guardians, administration, faculty, staff, and Board of Education," Adams said in a letter.
The last-minute change was largely due to employees with underlying medical conditions requesting reassignments, workplace accommodation and leaves of absence, Adams said, with families receiving plans for virtual learning Tuesday.
Paramus had been planning on a hybrid approach to in-person learning. Students would be split into two cohorts during a four-week transition phase consisting of two days of in-person learning. The Orange Phase would add more in-person learning days to the schedule, and interactions between students limited to their cohorts.
Meanwhile, hiring new staff and taking care of staffing needs will be prioritized, according to Adams, noting the district will need until Nov. 9 to return to in-person learning.
The district must provide staff members who need to take care of their children because of the change with a paid leave, secured through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.
The act gives an added 10 weeks of paid expanded family and medical leave at two-thirds of the employee's regular pay rate, the U.S. Department of Labor says.
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