Coronavirus chaos: NJ parents fume over crowded lines to pick up school supplies
March 19, 2020
By Victor Skinner
Parents in Lakewood, New Jersey were fuming this week when they were forced to wait in long lines to secure food, free Chromebooks, and other instructional materials during the coronavirus shutdown.
District officials attempted unsuccessfully to keep people separated as they stood in two different lines outside the board of education building, one for Chromebooks and one for school books, and many of the roughly 100 parents who showed up Wednesday were not happy about the situation, the Asbury Park Press reports.
“They had more than enough time to prepare for this, and yet they didn’t take enough precautions to prevent this scenario,†said Krysten Summey, who was picking up books for her fourth and first graders. “Now we’re standing next to each other, shoulder to shoulder. This is a health hazard.â€
Public health officials are encouraging social distancing – maintaining at least six feet from others and no gatherings of more than 50 people – to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Lakewood schools and most others canceled in-person classes based on those suggestions, but parents contend the 30-minute wait in the crowded line undermines the response.
http://eagnews.org/nj-parents-fume-over-crowded-lines-to-pick-up-school-supplies-during-coronavirus-shutdown/
