After only a week of sending students home and reverting back to virtual learning, Hillsborough Board of Education has decided to return to hybrid scheduling. Superintendent Dr. Lisa M. Antunes detailed in an email sent throughout the school system, that although there is a high activity level in the Central West region of New Jersey, Hillsborough included, the transmission rate due to schooling remains low.

This hybrid learning will start Monday, Dec. 7, and continue through Dec. 23 when it seems the Board of Education will reassess the situation for after winter break. The same guidelines are still in place for hybrid learning as they previously were, stay home if sick, a mask is mandatory on school grounds, practice social distancing, and wash hands effectively.

As Dr. Antunes mentioned in her email, the activity level remains extremely high in not only the Central West region of the state but the entire state of New Jersey with a record number of cases being reported each day. Many parents and students may feel uncomfortable about returning to school after a week of virtual learning where someone could have been exposed to the virus without knowing. Additionally, after staying home for a week, many students, who went into school during the first wave of hybrid scheduling, may continue to stay at home rather than return to school for the convenience of it.

This sudden change may also stem from the students noted dislike and disapproval of the new virtual scheduling which started this week. Previously ending at noon, students exclaimed their views on the new scheduling which included all ten periods (45 minutes long) resulting in school ending at 1:45 p.m. After this trial week, students have stated that this new scheduling is much more taxing on not only the body but the mind with having to spend six hours parked in front of a computer screen. Seeing this decrease in production and disapproval, the BOE may have wanted to stop this trial week and continue with the normal scheduling, despite a spike in cases around the school.

Only time will tell what is to become of this school with this pandemic, but Dr. Antunes and the rest of the Board of Education members are trying to make this school as normal as they can given the circumstances.