ETSD continues to closely monitor all official communications regarding health and safety from the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH), New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and will communicate any new information should it be received. We appreciate your continued cooperation in working with us to keep our students and staff healthy and virus-free. Please continue to communicate any issues or needs with your building principal, school nurse, and/or school counselor.
Listed below are what families, students and staff can continue to do to help reduce the spread of viruses in our school and community:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use alcohol-based hand sanitizer, if soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands. coughs and sneezes with a tissue or sleeve, not your hands, discard the tissue and wash or sanitize hands.
- Stay home if you are sick. Children who are sick should be kept home until they are fever free for 24 hours (with no medication) prior to returning to school.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
- Based on eligibility, stay up-to-date on all federal and state recommended vaccinations.
- Travel is not recommended during the school year; however, if it can not be delayed, parents should review and follow CDC travel advisories/guidance.
For additional health and safety guidance from the ETSD School Nurse Department, click on one of the links below:
The ETSD Safe Return Plan built on the lessons learned during the 2020-2021 school year, the hard work of our staff that enabled so much in-person learning to occur throughout that year, and current guidelines by which mandate how schools are required to operate. The remote learning option for families was removed for the 2021-22 school year in accordance with Executive Order 175; therefore, all learning occurred in-person with a five-day per week, full-day schedule based on the district's approved school calendar. This plan remained in effect for the 2022-2023 school year and will again continue for the 2023-2024 school year per federal requirements.
ETSD continues to evaluate new guidance as it becomes available in order to adjust local policies and practices in accordance with directives from the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE), New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH), and/or the Governor’s Office. Click here to view the ETSD Safe Return Plan that was originally submitted in June of 2021 based on guidance at the time, updates that occurred during the school year appear where noted with italics, bolding, and/or highlighting. Any updates are discussed with appropriate personnel and board approved, where needed. Please note that adjustments will continue to be made as additional state guidance is received; however, the 2023-2024 school year is again scheduled to be a typical year without restrictions. Masks continue to be optional. In addition, pursuant to the Federal American Rescue Plan Act, ETSD continues to have an LEA Plan for Use of ESSER III Funds, click here to view. If you would like to provide any feedback on the Safe Return Plan, ESSER funding, or any other needs connected to the pandemic, click here to access a Google Form.
The health and safety of our students and staff, along with providing a high quality education for our students continues to be our top priorities. The district has various supports in place that focus on social, emotional, mental health and academics. Should your child be required to stay home for a quarantine or isolation period connected to COVID, the absence will be treated as any other instance of illness with work being posted to the child's Google Classroom and/or being sent home.
The district continues to have a tech support team available to students, families, and staff. The team can be contacted directly at [email protected]. Be sure to include student name, teacher name, and a contact number in your email. Click here for a parent resource with information and screencasts on accessing your child's technology platform and troubleshooting,
Should a closing be directed by the NJDOH, NJDOE, or the Office of the Governor that necessitates all students in the district to learn remotely, the district continues to have an ETSD Emergency Closure Remote Plan in place that will immediately be implemented to ensure continuity of full-day services for all subgroups via synchronous learning utilizing Google Meet and Google Classroom, with appropriate screen breaks and/or opportunities for independent practice asynchronously, where noted (click any part of this paragraph to view the remote plan).
Parents are also encouraged to click here to view a variety of resources related to COVID-19, anxiety, mental health services, and more.
For official information regarding the coronavirus, please visit one or more of the following websites:
NJ Department of Health
Center for Disease Control
NJ COVID-19 Information Hub