A regional high school in Monmouth County will remain on remote instruction at least through next Wednesday and possibly longer due to damage caused by a burst pipe last Sunday, officials said.
Red Bank Regional High School in Little Silver canceled classes for three days and shifted to a remote learning schedule Thursday amid an ongoing cleanup and repair of classrooms and other spaces at the 51-year-old building.
“Although significant progress has been made in repairing the damage caused by the burst pipe in our main building, more remediation work is required to safely welcome staff and students back for regular instruction,” Superintendent Louis Moore wrote in a letter to parents on Friday afternoon.
Sections of drywall, insulation and related materials are being opened, removed and “thoroughly dried to prevent further structural damage and potential environmental health risks,” Moore wrote.
Moore said that remote instruction will continue next Tuesday and Wednesday. Red Bank Regional was already scheduled to be closed Monday for Presidents Day.
“While we are hopeful that a resumption of normal operations is possible for the second half of next week, families and students should be prepared for the possibility that remote instruction may continue through Friday, February 20,” Moore wrote.
A New Jersey law that requires schools provide at least 180 days of instruction includes an exception that allows schools to switch to remote learning when buildings are closed for more than three consecutive school days due to a declared state of emergency or public health emergency.
Moore told NJ.com on Thursday that the remote instruction days will be counted.
Despite the cancellation of in-person classroom instruction, athletics at the high school will be continuing “with minor schedule adjustments,” Moore wrote.
Locker rooms and the gymnasium were not damaged by the burst pipe, Moore said.