Multiple N.J. teachers test positive for coronavirus. Schools alert parents to monitor kids.

Teachers in at least three New Jersey public school districts have tested positive for coronavirus, prompting superintendents to issue warnings to parents about monitoring their children for symptoms.

All of the districts sent letters or emails to families urging them to watch for indicators of the illness, which includes fever or cough, and to call doctors if the symptoms arise.

New Jersey officials on Wednesday reported at least 427 cases of the coronavirus. The state has confirmed five coronavirus-related deaths, and NJ Advance Media has confirmed a sixth person has died.

In Mercer County, a teacher who works at Timerberlane Middle School in the Hopewell Valley Regional School District, tested positive for COVID-19, officials said Wednesday night.

The teacher was asymptomatic while at school in Pennington, according to school and health department officials.

N.J. teacher tests positive for coronavirus

A teacher at Timberlane Middle School in the Hopewell Valley Regional School District has tested positive for coronavirus, officials said Wednesday.

In Essex County, a foreign language teacher at Heritage Middle School in the Livingston Public School district tested positive for COVID-19, officials said late Wednesday.

The Livingston teacher, who is in quarantine, “was present in the school building up to and including Wednesday, March 11,” schools Superintendent Matthew Block wrote in a letter to families.

In Union County, a teacher in the Cranford Public School District also tested positive, the district announced Wednesday night.

The teacher lives in Monmouth County, schools Superintendent Scott Rubin said in a notice posted on the district website.

“Please know that the last day the faculty member had contact with anyone in the district was March 6,” Rubin said.

Rubin said the Monmouth County Health Department is in the process of tracing where the teacher had been before testing positive and that notification to anyone deemed “as close contacts will follow.”

“These individuals will also be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days,” Rubin said.

Also in Monmouth, Rita Fusco-Jackson, who taught religious education at a Freehold church, died of the virus. Fusco-Jackson was a volunteer teacher in the church’s confirmation program and attended a retreat on Feb. 29.

“Her contact with retreat participants was minimal,” the church said in a statement. However, at least two students who came in contact with Fusco-Jackson have self-quarantined, the church said.

In Passaic County, a staff member at Eastern Christian High School, a private school in North Haledon, tested positive for COVID-19. The staff member lives in Haledon, officials said.

In Morris County, an employee of Mount Olive Middle School tested positive for COVID-19, district officials announced. “The Mount Olive Health Department will be reaching out to individuals who had close contact with the diagnosed employee,” the district said on its website.

The announcements have parents pressing the districts for more information about the infected teachers.

“I don’t understand why they will not provide us the identity of this teacher,” said Christopher Gentile, whose daughter attends Timberlane in Pennington. “It would allow us to see the risk factor for our children in contracting the COVID-19, and that would be in the best interest of our children.”

In Livingston, a man with a daughter at Heritage Middle School, said it’s impossible for parents to know if their children had been exposed.

“Any family with a child at the middle school, and any contacts those children had since Wednesday should immediately begin self quarantining," the man, who asked that his name not be used, wrote in an email. "Not doing so immediately risks putting the entire community at risk.”

Tell us your coronavirus stories, whether it’s a news tip, a topic you want us to cover, or a personal story you want to share.

If you would like updates on New Jersey-specific coronavirus news, subscribe to our Coronavirus in N.J. newsletter.

Sign up for text message alerts from NJ.com on coronavirus in New Jersey:

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.

If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.