Hudson Reporter
Parents call for return to classrooms
Residents spoke in favor of hybrid and in-person instruction ×
Gene Woods, president of the Bayonne Education Association, defends virtual instruction at the Feb. 24 Bayonne Board of Education meeting.
A number of parents called for students to return to classrooms under hybrid or in-person instruction at the Feb. 23 Bayonne Board of Education meeting.
Superintendent of Schools John Niesz recently announced the district will remain virtual into March, when it will reevaluate its instruction plan. The district is planning for a possible transition to hybrid instruction.
Two schools shut down after two staff members contracted the virus, even while operating remotely. Niesz said that sports programs haven’t gone one week without a COVID-19 infection.
Hudson Reporter
Board of Education approves Special Education position
The department faces complex issues ×
Superintendent Niesz (center) addressed the Board of Education on Jan. 26.
The Bayonne School District created a new assistant superintendent position at the Board of Education meeting on Jan. 26.
According to Superintendent of Schools John Niesz, the district’s Special Education Department faces “extensive, persistent and complex” issues. There are 1,500 special education students, or approximately 15 percent of the school population.
“This is obviously a significant number of students who require concentrated attention,” Niesz said, calling for the creation an Assistant Superintendent of Special Services position, which “would not only take charge of this entire educational area, but this position will create a clear understanding for the staff and the community of the importance the district places on education.”
Hudson Reporter ×
The hallways of Bayonne High School may soon be filled again as the school district looks to return to classrooms.
Though virtual instruction will continue at Bayonne public schools until the end of February, Superintendent of Schools John Niesz said returning to classrooms is a possibility.
The district continues to evaluate COVID-19 data to determine if it’s safe to transition to a hybrid or in-person instruction plan.
The district announced in July that public schools would remain virtual through the first month of the school year. In September, the decision was made to remain virtual until Nov. 2, the end of the first marking period. In October, virtual instruction was extended to Dec. 1. In November, it was extended until Jan. 29.
Hudson Reporter
Bayonne High School presented a great show online,
It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. Joe Landry, a playwright, adapted the classic Christmas film for presentation as a radio play. Working together, the Bayonne High School Drama Society and the Bayonne Educational Network (BEN-TV) produced the play for the Internet. This was a great way to present a show for a large audience without creating a health risk during the Coronavirus pandemic. The play was directed by Drama teacher Brendan Wahlers, who is also a professional actor.
The cast for
It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play included Bayonne High School students, alumni, faculty, administrators, and municipal officials. There are forty-four characters in the play. The actors were recorded to create a pre-recorded livestream that was available for viewing on December 24, 25, and 26.