Woodbridge Township Schools announced recently that all schools will return to full remote learning until January 19, 2021 due to COVID-19.

The school district began the year on a remote schedule until cases began to decrease. On October 12th, the Board of Education, through Dr. Zega’s recommendation, returned the district to hybrid instruction.

The move split returning students into two groups to keep the school at the minimum capacity. Group A attended school in-person on Mondays and Tuesdays, while Group B attended on Thursdays and Fridays.

Wednesdays were a fully remote day for everyone so that buildings could be deep cleaned.

When teachers returned for the hybrid model, the district outlined classroom sanitation measures to ensure safety.

Ms. Gioia, a graphic design teacher, said, “I always made sure to wear my mask, sanitize my hands, wipe down, and share spaces and consistently remind my students to do the same thing when entering my classroom.”

During the month of October, positive COVID cases began to rise, and scores of students began opting for a switch fully remote instruction.

Following fall break, the first week of November, Woodbridge Township allowed schools to move to remote instruction if there were not enough staff to keep the school open due to mandatory quarantining after leaving the state for vacation.

Woodbridge High School was one of many schools throughout the district that remained closed due to this reason, with an anticipated return to hybrid instruction on November 23rd.

However, due to the continued rise in COVID cases, Dr. Zega recommended all schools return to remote instruction on November 18th, with a reassessment slated for January 18th.

With less than a month of hybrid instruction, WHS faculty was forced to modify their teaching styles again. Mr. Maurizio, a gym teacher said, “With everyone being on the computer, I had to create a class schedule that allowed them to work collaboratively during class.”

Virtual learning can be difficult for some teachers. Mr. Nowicki, a business teacher said, “It’s a bit easier having all the students in one place , but I miss in-person instruction. Teaching via a computer screen is not effective. Our students are missing out on the entire experience, specifically socialization.” 

Senior Joshua Abdel-Maseih said, “It affected me mentally [because I am] not waking up early or, in general, [I am] becoming lazy.”

Distractions come easy now with everyone learning remotely from home. Senior Kamil Lemdani said, “[I] definitely focused better in person. I’m always distracted by something at home.” 

As January 19, 2021 draws closer, the school district is eagerly awaiting approval to return to hybrid instruction, and hopefully, full in-person this school year.