TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—Interim Superintendent Jill Mortimer trumpeted “We did it! The school year is off to a wonderful start” in her message to the school community on Sept. 10, a week after devastating Tropical Storm
Ida walloped the Pascack Valley and knocked Washington Elementary School out of commission.
(See “Ida drives damage, heroes,” Pascack Press, Sept. 13, 2021.)
She said she was looking for county support to move Washington School students — who have been absorbed elsewhere in the district so they could make the start of the fall term — to Bethany Community Center as a stopgap.
Bethany, at 605 Pascack Road, is familiar to many township youngsters as a site central to the township’s summer recreation program.
She thanked parents and school PSOs “for the outpouring of support for the district. Our staff members and students are energized, excited and enthusiastic! I see how positive everyone is everywhere I go.”
“The district’s electrician is working with us and others on a plan for the water-damaged electrical panel. We have a new hot water heater coming soon,” Mortimer said.
She added, “Fortunately, the boilers were off at the time of the storm, but we need to replace their electronic components because they were submerged in water. We are in constant touch with our contractors, and we are working to get these mechanicals repaired as quickly as possible.”
On Tuesday, Washington School Principal Melissa Palianto and Mortimer toured the Bethany Community Center with Lou DeLisio, Executive Bergen County Superintendent of Schools.
Mortimer said, “If we need to move the Washington students to that site, we will need the approval of the New Jersey Department of Education. Mr. DeLisio was impressed with the building, and all indications are it is a viable option.”
She said of people asking, When is this going to be over, a questions she said applies to both the Washington School relocation and the pandemic, “While we do not have a definitive answer to either question, we have learned we can do hard things.”
And she touted a new Covid dashboard.
“I know Covid is a concern for many, so I want to let you know I created a case count dashboard on the Covid site that is linked to our homepage. This site will be updated on school days by 4 p.m. This site will replace the email notifications you received about positive cases in the last school year.”
Mortimer said, “The resiliency this community has shown is outstanding. Everyone has stepped up to make our students’ learning experiences as normal as possible. I consider it an honor to lead this district, and I am proud to say I represent the Westwood Regional School District.”
