UPDATE: Tri-Districts Open Different Days Next Week

Update 7:08pm: 

Saint Joseph School is scheduled to re-open on Monday for students in Grades 5 through 8 only. There will be no classes for students in the Lower School (the greenhouse, PreK 3-4  and Kindergarten through Grade 4), however parents of Lower School students will have their Parent/Teacher conferences that day.

School is closed on Tuesday, November 6 for Election Day.  

Classes will be in session for students in the Lower School on Wednesday, but there will be no classes for students in the Upper School. Parents of Upper School students will attend their Parent/Teacher conferences on Wednesday. School (for all SJS students) will be in session on Thursday and Friday.

IF OPS has power on Monday - they will have school Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and be off on Tuesday. OEM Coordinator Derek Kahill stated that the borough and district is still waiting for the building to be restored - if they do not get power by Monday a NIXLE alert will be sent out to update parents with the next plan. 

Original Article:8:41am

If parents in the tri-districts were hoping that all the public schools would be open on the same schedule next week, they will be disappointed. While both River Dell and River Edge have announced they will be open the majority of next week, only the elementary schools will have full days on Thursday and Friday.

"As our communities continue the recovery from hurricane Sandy, please know that the River Dell Board of Education has you in their thoughts and prayers," Regional Superintendent Patrick Fletcher wrote on the district website. "Please be aware that the school calendar for River Dell is being modified for the week of November 5. The schedule is different from that of the River Edge and Oradell elementary districts."

The River Dell schedule is as follows:

• Monday, Nov. 5 - Full Day
• Tuesday, Nov. 6 - Full Day
• Wednesday, Nov. 7 - Full Day
• Thursday, Nov. 8 - Half Day
• Friday, Nov. 9 - Half Day

"This schedule allows the district to recapture the one day that would impact the April break and two days for the other inclement weather that is surely to come," Fletcher wrote.

Young children that attend Roosevelt, Cherry Hill or New Bridge will have a full day of classes on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The district will remain closed on Tuesday as both Cherry Hill and Roosevelt serve as polling locations.

River Dell High and Middle schools also serve as polling locations for the area.

Oradell officials have opted to move several polling locations in advance as voters in District's 4 and 6 have been moved to Borough Hall and District 5 to River Dell High School.

But one resident who heard the news of the different in school schedules was not happy with the regional district's decision.

"Is the new math two half days equals two full days," Chris Jameson wrote in an email to Patch. "I am extremely disappointed with the River Dell Board of Education and the Superintendent for not putting our students best interests first. During this stressful time, it is not unusual to make poor decisions. In my opinion, the River Dell Board of Education has done just that."

Jameson continued that the district is cheating students out of needed instructional time as well as putting additional pressure on parents.

"What should we tell our employers now that school is ending at noon," Jameson wrote. "And if that were not bad enough what of the families with children in both districts. Could you at least have coordinated with the elementary schools? What ever happened to doing the right thing? In what alternate universe is a half day (or in this case, two half days) equate to a full day of instruction?"

As of 9am Saturday, OPS has not provided an update on its schedule. The opening status of Bergen Catholic, St. Peter's and St. Joseph are also unknown at this time.

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