Dear Montgomery Township School Community,

The Federal American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, Public Law 117-2, was signed by President Biden in March 2021. The purpose of the additional funding is to support local educational agencies (LEAs) in preparing for and responding to the impacts of COVID-19 on educators, students, and families.  This grant requires school districts to develop a plan for the safe return to in-person instruction.  Additionally, the grant requires that the district seeks community feedback regarding the proposed grant application.  

On May 17, 2021, Governor Murphy announced that upon the conclusion of the 2020-2021 school year, portions of Executive Order 175 allowing remote learning will be rescinded, and schools will be required to provide full-day, in-person instruction, as occurred prior to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency.  As a school district, we will continue to partner with our local Department of Health and collaboratively make decisions as new information and guidelines are provided to us.   

Our plan was created using the template that was mandated by the New Jersey Department of Education, which incorporates the federally-required components of the Safe Return Plan.  The grant content is  presented in the format that is required by the NJDOE.  Many of the components are  limited to a 1000 character count and, as such, we have succinctly captured the core elements of our plan.  Additionally, each department and school building leaders continue to meet and collaborate with stakeholders on the comprehensive plans to safely restart school, co-curricular activities, athletics, and every other aspect of our district’s operations. 

As part of the public comment section of this plan, we are inviting you to submit any remarks that you may have on the summary of our Safe Return Plan.  The district and school specific communication will continue through the summer.  These communications will keep you informed about our progress as well as any changes you may need to know.  

We are optimistic and excited about returning to in-person learning in September.

The below link will take you to the Safe Return Plan Overview website.  You will find the Plan itself, the input form, a copy of this communication and helpful translation tool instructional videos.

Safe Return Plan