30°
Officials from Newton Public Schools, Sparta Township Public Schools (Sussex County) and North Arlington Public Schools (Bergen County) announced this week.
Newton and North Arlington will reopen Jan. 18, and Sparta will reopen Jan. 19.
As of Friday, there were 3,635 new coronavirus cases and 23 more deaths reported in New Jersey.
Newton's superintendent Dr. G Kennedy Green said the district has seen a steady rise in cases in the last few weeks.
Sussex County averaged seven new cases daily in mid-October; 34 last week; and is expected to be between 50 and 60 this week, Greene said, noting athletics and extracurricular activities will not be meeting in person.
"As a result of this data, the county DOH predicts we are moving into, if not already in, the 'very high risk' category," Greene said. "Their health-based recommendation is for all schools to move to fully remote instruction now."
North Arlington Superintendent Dr. Stephen Yurchak said that while officials "believe that our schools are safe... individuals who have contracted COVID19 and may not have known that they were ill have entered our schools over the past few weeks.
"With this information in hand, coupled with the rising number of positive COVID19 cases across New Jersey, it is in the best interest of our school community’s health to implement fully remote learning for the aforementioned time period."
Sparta's acting superintendent Mr. Patrick McQueeney made the announcement Nov. 19.
"With the Northwest region’s reclassification by the NJ Department of Health from yellow to orange and the upcoming holiday season," he said, "we are taking this preventative and proactive measure to continue to maintain the health and safety of our students and staff in our school buildings."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Edison and receive free news updates.
