Mackey Pendergrast is a smart guy. Last fall, he was named New Jersey’s top school superintendent.
But the head of the Morris School District told his board on Monday he’s not even close to figuring out how or when public schools in Morristown and Morris Township will re-open. There are too many variables.
“I know how to create a curriculum. I know instruction. I know a lot of educational things. I’m not an epidemiologist. I didn’t study medicine. I certainly will be leaning on the guidance that we get from our health officials,” he said, during a lengthy virtual presentation that sketched out scenarios full of pandemic unknowns.
The uncertainty extends to Morristown High School’s graduation, and whether state restrictions limiting gatherings to 25 people will be eased enough to make a traditional ceremony feasible for 435 grads.
Gov. Phil Murphy has okayed graduations, with strict social distancing, beginning on July 6, 2020.
In the meantime, Morristown High students are creating videos for a virtual commencement and administrators are assessing options for reopening, as Pendergrast studies strides by German and South Korean schools, and awaits word from Trenton on everything from whether masks and coronavirus testing will be required at schools, to what happens if someone tests positive.
“One of the things I was trying to show everybody tonight is how complicated this is. There’s almost no way to master-plan for four or five different scenarios,” the superintendent said.
Pendergrast also acknowledged the nation’s shock over the brutal killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman last month, pledging “to address the ugliness of racism in America directly and unequivocally” in classrooms and faculty meetings “in a more pronounced manner.”
“We cannot be a healthy community… if confronting racism and promoting social justice are not explicitly part of our day to day work in this district,” he said.
That involves talking about “race and racism, implicit bias, history and current events, privilege and social change,” Pendergrast said. “The need for actual, physical, material change is urgent right now in our nation, and in our schools.”
Online counseling to help students from the high school and Frelinghuysen Middle School deal with emotions unleashed by Floyd’s death began last Friday, and will continue, Pendergrast said.
BACK TO SCHOOL…OR BACK TO SCREENS?
Models for re-opening in the fall range from enhancing the virtual instruction that began in March, to mixtures of virtual- and in-school classes with social distancing, until a coronavirus vaccine or improved treatments are available, Pendergrast said.
While trends are encouraging–COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths in New Jersey continue decreasing from their April peaks–Pendergrast said the disease remains a serious threat.
“The coronavirus has not gone away. It’s still there. It’s still potent, still dangerous,” he said, citing estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that 35 percent of persons carrying the infection may not show symptoms.
COVID-19 has killed more than 12,200 people across the Garden State, including 625 in Morris County, according to health officials.
Maintaining six feet of distance for 5,500 pupils in 10 schools is daunting. Pendergrast estimated the regional district would need 10 more schools to accommodate everyone at once.
Morristown High would have to stage 76 separate outdoor commencement ceremonies to comply with present restrictions. That’s with staff and two guests per student. With students only (sorry, Mom and Dad) and limited staff, the school still would need 25 ceremonies, Pendergrast said.
An all-online fall schedule might include in-person sessions with guidance counselors. Or students might come to school every other day. Or once a week. Or every two weeks. Scenarios may differ by students’ age and grade.
One building could be designated to provide virtual instruction to kids who cannot study from home because, say, both parents are working. Buildings might re-open in October instead of September. Scenarios may shift as conditions change.
Busing is a giant concern. Some 3,500 students are transported to school every day (in normal times), on about 80 buses. Pendergrast said the district would need about 300 buses to ensure proper social distancing on board.
And who enforces social distancing at bus stops? Will someone have to take students’ temperatures before allowing them to enter buses or school buildings? If a child tests positive, should his or her school be shut down? For two days? Two weeks?
What about schools attended by the siblings of the infected student? Should they be closed temporarily, too?
How do you protect school nurses, who may have daily contact with COVID-19? When the nurse gets sick and cannot come to school, the school must close, Pendergrast said.
Will the district be responsible for supplying masks? One per day, per pupil? One per week? About 200,000 masks might be needed for a school year, the superintendent said. With schools everywhere competing for supplies, will masks even be available?
What about sanitizers? How often will schools need disinfecting? How many cleaning people will be needed?
Who will pay for all of this?
“We don’t have an endless supply of money,” said Pendergrast, who is hoping for federal aid.
The district won’t know the fate of $14 million in anticipated state aid until late August–one week before classes are scheduled to start. Plans to expand preschool hang in the balance, according to Pendergrast.
With virtual instruction suddenly the new normal, the district is extending its Chromebook program. It has covered students in grades 6-12; this fall, children in lower grades also will be issued laptops.
Yet despite “incredible” efforts of teachers and administrators, Pendergrast conceded that virtual instruction brings its own challenges and cannot replace face-to-face learning.
Even Monday’s webcast was hampered by glitches; parents complained they were shut out because the Zoom session only accommodated 100 viewers. Promising to fix that for next time, Pendergrast said a replay will be posted online and parents still can submit questions.
‘MIND-BOGGLING MENTAL GYMNASTICS’
Board member Lisa Pollak commended Pendergrast and his staff for “mind-boggling…mental gymnastics” attempting to cover all angles. But she urged the superintendent to choose a plan soon.
“At some point, you’re going to have to put your stake in the sand…just in fairness to your own mental health, and the mental health of your team,” Pollak said.
Pendergrast said he expects more clarity by early July.
To complicate matters further, the science keeps shifting. Board member Linda Murphy noted a new report by the World Health Organization suggesting coronavirus transmission by asymptomatic carriers is “rare,” apparently contradicting the C.D.C.
(UPDATE: The W.H.O. later walked back its statement…underscoring the thorny predicament facing school officials.)
Some parents have complained to Murphy about the district’s “draconian” measures creating a “culture of fear” for students. She backs the superintendent.
“It has to be safety first,” Murphy said.
