N.J. schools could shut down if they have 2 or more COVID-19 cases in different classes, new guidelines say – NJ.com

If one or two students or teachers is diagnosed with the coronavirus in a New Jersey classroom, everyone he or she came close to at school could be asked to stay home for 14 days, according to new state guidelines.

But if two people in different classrooms get sick, the entire school could be shut down.

The state Department of Health released 19 pages of new health rules for schools Thursday as districts across New Jersey prepare to reopen schools for in-person classes for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

Many public school officials have been asking the state for clearer health guidance since June, when the state’s original 104-page school reopening plan said decisions on when and if to close schools when people get sick would largely be left up to school leaders and local health officials.

The new guidelines include more specific rules on how schools should handle positive COVID-19 cases, when they should ask students in individual classrooms to quarantine and when entire schools should close and switch to remote learning. The rules are meant to be general guidelines, the state said, and districts can opt to develop more stringent rules.

The new guidelines also detail a color-coded coronavirus tracking system first unveiled by state officials Wednesday that divides the state into six regions. If the virus rate and health data in any one region gets too high, the state could tell all schools in that region to close their buildings, state officials said.

“Understanding that COVID-19 may impact certain areas of the state differently, the department will provide data by six regions of the state to inform local decisions,” said state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli.

Under the new guidelines:

— If one teacher or student in a school has a confirmed COVID-19 case, the school can remain open. But anyone the person came close to at school will be asked to quarantine at home. “Students and staff in close contact with positive case are excluded from school for 14 days,” the rules say.

— If two people in the same classroom get sick, the school can remain open. But everyone in the classroom could be asked to quarantine. “Recommendations for whether the entire classroom would be considered exposed will be based on public health investigation,” the guidelines say.

— If two or more people in different classrooms have confirmed COVID-19 cases within 14 days at the same school, it gets more complicated. The entire school could be shut down if “a clear connection between cases or to a suspected or confirmed case of COVID-19 cannot be easily identified,” the recommendations say.

The new guidelines were released as New Jersey’s nearly 600 public school districts are submitting their reopening plans to the state education department for approval.

Gov. Phil Murphy originally asked all schools to offer at least some in-person classes. But, on Wednesday the state guidelines were modified to allow school districts to start the school year with only remote learning at home if officials felt they could not open with safety measures in place.

Most schools originally planned to open with hybrid plans, combining a few days of in-person classes each week with at-home distance learning. Students are expected to wear masks and classrooms are supposed to either have desks six feet apart or install barriers between students.

All students in every district also have the option of choosing an all-remote learning plan, even if their school is offering in-person classes.

Last March, Murphy ordered all public and private schools to close and switch to remote learning at the start of the pandemic.

This year, New Jersey officials said they are going to take a regional approach to tracking health data to help determine whether schools should remain open.

Under the new guidelines, the state will be divided into a six-region COVID-19 Regional Risk Matrix:

— Northwest: Morris, Passaic, Sussex, Warren

— Northeast: Bergen, Essex, Hudson

— Central West: Hunterdon, Mercer, Somerset

— Central East: Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Union

— Southwest: Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem

— Southeast: Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland

Each region will be assigned a color (green, yellow, orange or red) every week based on the virus risk in the area.

“Where a region falls in the color-coding categories is based on three criteria: number of cases in past week, percent positivity past week and syndromic surveillance in the past week,” the state health department said.

If a region is labeled red, every county should switch to remote learning and close school buildings. If it is orange, the regions’ schools should also switch to remote learning if they can’t guarantee they are adhering to all prevention measures to prevent the virus from spreading, the guidelines say.

The health guidance also says schools should move choir and music classes outdoors, if possible; allow only the use of masks, not clear face shields, in schools; and sanitize desks, countertops, doorknobs, computer keyboards and hands-on surfaces “at least daily.”

The guidelines include sample forms school districts should ask parents to fill out every day to say they have checked their children for a list of coronavirus symptoms before sending them to school. There are additional sample letters to send home to students’ families if there are COVID-19 cases in their classroom or school.

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Kelly Heyboer may be reached at kheyboer@njadvancemedia.com.

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