Considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic students’ mental health, how do you believe opening schools up will affect students now who have not had a chance to be at the school in person, such as the freshmen class? 

Not only are the freshmen affected, but also the sophomores as well. They were only in school until March thirteenth, which was when the school shut down. So, there are a lot of sophomores who have not been at the school in person for almost a year now. Many of them were just getting comfortable being freshmen in the building and now they are sophomores who have many issues coming back to school. I know there are students who are struggling academically, aside from socially and emotionally. Virtual learning is not working for them and we have opened classes for them five days a week. However, we are now giving everybody the opportunity to come back into the building even if it is only for half a week. 

Have you and the other principals met up to discuss plans for opening up the schools, such as precautionary measures and potential outbreaks in the school?

The other five principals and I have met up on a weekly basis since the summertime. We meet up a couple of hours every week in addition to calling, emailing, and texting each other. Generally, we have been trying to stay consistent with what we are doing within our buildings. It also allows me to call them and ask them their opinions and to give and receive advice. It is a nice group of us to support each other. This is a difficult time for us too. We recognize that it is a difficult time for the staff and students too. But it is also a difficult time for administrators and we need that support as well.

Considering you and the other principals meet up and collaborate, are the other schools also going into a five-day schedule?

After the survey ends, it will be for the district. All the results will be taken into consideration, but all six schools have offered five days a week to their students. However, Freehold Township High School and the other schools already have a few students in for five days a week. We have identified students who have been struggling to adjust to virtual and academically. We checked out their grades and spoke to parents, who then allowed them to come to school full time. We also have special programs within the school that allow students to come in five days a week. I know that personally, I would want to come into school as it is easier for me to be there and pay attention in person.

Do you believe that a lot has changed since the beginning of the pandemic?

When the school closed on Friday the thirteenth, we decided we were going to go virtual for the next week. The teachers were just posting assignments on Google Classroom and the students were completing them at their leisure and handing it back in at all hours of the night. Rightfully so, as there was a lot going on at the start of the pandemic. People did not know what was going on or what was going to happen. It was a stressful situation, people were getting sick, jobs were being lost, students had to go to work, and we recognized all of those factors and decided that the best way for our students to learn in the high schools was for teachers to post the assignments and for students to complete them when they had time within a reasonable time frame. Over the summer, while we were making plans for the current school year, it was decided that we would change what had previously been the plan. Synchronous instruction was the way to go. There was a drastic change, and I think it is going very well. I know there are a lot of struggles, such as technical issues and attendance. From last year to this year, the quality of instruction has certainly increased. Plus, I also believe it is nice for students to make connections with their teachers and classmates online rather than barely any communication. 

With the possibility of more students coming into the school, are there going to be stricter guidelines to prevent future outbreaks?

We were prepared in October for half of our student population to come into the building – at a thousand students. The building was prepared in September for the influx of students coming in on October nineteenth. At this point, we are prepared for five-day schedules and we have been ready for it. There will still be one-way hallways and stairwells. The sanitation procedures will still be in place and students and staff will socially distance. If a lot of students decide to come back, we will go back to staggering the bell schedule of release. We did that at the beginning, however, there were only a couple of hundred students in the building and the hallways were relatively empty we just let the bell ring and let all the students come out at once. It all depends on how many students are in the building. If we have classes that are larger in size, I may move them out of their classroom and into the smaller theatre, the cafeteria, and other larger spaces. Otherwise, we are ready to welcome up to a thousand students. The students and staff members are doing a wonderful job of keeping themselves safe in the building. However, if there is anyone in the school who has a positive case or is exposed, we will contact trace. My three assistant principals and I have spent a majority of our day contact tracing and making sure students and staff who are affected are quarantining and are isolated so we can keep the number of cases low. We do not want the virus spreading in the building, though a majority of cases are coming from outside the building. I credit my vice-principals for that as we are chasing down every single lead. If we are informed that a student has a cold, we are immediately in contact with them and their families and are sending them home to quarantine. We are trying our best to stay as safe as possible.

**End of Interview**

I would like to thank Dr. Scelso for speaking with me and for giving such detailed answers that truly show how hard the staff is working to make sure both students and staff can stay safe during in-person learning.