Aberdeen Parents Dismayed As District Suddenly Goes All Virtual

ABERDEEN, NJ — Some Matawan-Aberdeen parents are trying to fight back against a decision announced by the district right before Thanksgiving: That the district would suddenly be all virtual until January 19.

This was an abrupt change from what Matawan-Aberdeen Regional had been planning for months, which was to have the students return to class full-time in early December. The students were on a hybrid schedule in the fall.

The problem is that the district is being far too strict with its quarantine policies, say local parents.

According to a letter sent out this week by superintendent Joseph Majka, the district is requiring any teacher or student to quarantine if they a) tested positive, b) were in close contact to someone who tested positive, c) traveled to a state on NJ's Travel Advisory List or internationally or — and this is the kicker — have symptoms of the coronavirus.

There is a virtual health form that students and teachers must submit daily and if a teacher checks that they for example, have a sore throat or feel fatigued, they have to stay home. For two weeks.

"It's cold and flu season; everyone is sneezing," said Sheetal Werneke, a mother of two students at the high school. "So even if they have just one symptom, they have to stay home. They don't even have to test positive. This is too much."

The district's rules are so strict that it's actually caused a teacher shortage. Twenty five percent of the district's teachers are currently out. There are 11 currently confirmed cases in the district, and that has resulted in 110 other people, mostly teachers, having to stay home and quarantine for two weeks.

"That's how far spread the contact tracing goes," she said. "It's a heavy-handed approach. And nationally, it's not even following CDC guidelines, which now say people should quarantine for seven days."

The Centers for Disease Control just revised its guidelines this week, saying a quarantine should only last for 10 days, or 7 days with a test. And that's only if one came in contact with someone who is COVID positive — not just for having one symptom. And CDC Director Robert Redfield just said Wednesday that schools are not a major source of coronavirus transmission.

"So now they are saying they don't have enough substitutes," said Werneke. "Well, let some of the parents go in and substitute. We'd do it."

Werneke said the district has told her it's only following guidelines from the Monmouth County Department of Health.

Matwan-Aberdeen Regional is "over-correcting," said the area's state Senator Declan O'Scanlon, a Republican. He also said the state of New Jersey needs to get on one page: Are schools safe to open or not?

"The governor, along with other regional governors, sent the right message … that in-school learning is both safe and superior to virtual and that we should work to keep kids in school," said O'Scanlon. "However, that messaging is contradicted by the Department of Health’s own guidelines. We all need to get on the same page here and favor keeping schools open safely.”

"We are all for combating COVID on every scientifically justified front," said O'Scanlon. "However, just like we’ve seen in New York City, it doesn’t appear that the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional’s decision makers are following the science and including parents in communication efforts. We need to all get on the same page here."

The American Academy of Pediatrics has maintained throughout the pandemic that it's better for children to be in school than learning virtually at home. Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC News this week that he thinks schools should remain open, and districts should "try as best as possible, within reason, to keep the children in school or to get them back to school."

“If you look at the data, the spread among children and from children is not really very big at all. Not like one would have suspected so let’s try to get the children back,” Fauci said.

Werneke said she doesn't fault her children's teachers, who seem just as frustrated by the strict rules as she is. She and O'Scanlon are talking to the superintendent about changing the rules; she would just like to see kids back in class before January 19, she said.

"My straight A, high honor roll student has lost all motivation," said Werneke. "She says,'What's the point?' since she's only in school eight hours total a week. And she's complaining of eye strain, headaches and neck pain due to extended screen time. I just had conferences with my son's teacher today. One of them told me, 'Nicholas is such a social person; when he is in school he lights up. On Google meetings it’s hard to get him to engage.' Because it’s virtual it’s almost like school doesn’t exist for him. A lot of the time he’s attending classes on his phone from bed."