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Educators Are Acclimating to Their New Normal School Educators Are Acclimating to Their New Normal

Paramus school employees must take many precautions to remain healthy.

By Talia Gerardi

Lady wearing all black in a school classroom.
© 2020 Talia Gerardi

NAT SOUND: Good girl looking at your book!

TALIA GERARDI: Anna Passafiume, who works as an A-B-A therapist in a classroom where children have autism, says she had mixed emotions when she heard she would be one of the first employees going back to in-person learning in Paramus.

ANNA PASSAFIUME: Six months being home I was totally excited to go back, but then I was terrified. Terrified of the unknown. We don’t know what this virus is about. It’s scary, like what happens if I bring it home because I have someone at home with an underlying condition.

TALIA GERARDI: Students who have autism are not required to wear masks in the classroom. Because of this Paramus provided their staff with P-P-E that doctors wear each day in the hospitals- K-N-95 Masks, face shields, scrubs, you name it!

ANNA PASSAFIUME: They’ve provided us all with PPE gear, there are some districts that haven’t even supplied gloves or a mask to their employees.

TALIA GERARDI: This new uniform could be the key to staying healthy for Paramus school staff. For N-C-C News, I’m Talia Gerardi in Paramus.

PARAMUS, N.J. (NCC News)- Some teachers and students have been in-person for nearly a month already, while thousands of children in Paramus remain at home doing virtual learning.

It’s important for students with autism to be back in the classroom because online school is not nearly as effective for them. These students’ teachers and helpers had many concerns when they heard they would be going back to in-person learning before the rest of the district.

Anna Passafiume, who works as an ABA therapist in a classroom where children have autism, said she had mixed emotions when she heard she would be one of the first employees going back to in-person learning in Paramus.

“Six months being home I was totally excited to go back, but then I was terrified,” Passafiume said. “Terrified of the unknown. We don’t know what this virus is about. It’s scary, like what happens if I bring it home because I have someone at home with an underlying condition.”

Students with autism are not required to wear masks in the classroom. Anna had a different outlook on this mandate.

“My concern is not the children, I think it’s the adults we have to be careful about because they are the ones going out places,” Passafiume said.

To try to stop the spread of COVID-19, Paramus provided its staff with PPE that people like doctors and surgeons wear each day when they go to work in the hospitals. The school provides KN-95 Masks, face shields, scrubs, gloves, and more. New equipment is provided to the staff daily so no one has to reuse theirs.

“I think Paramus is doing a great job,” Passafiume said. “They’ve provided us all with PPE gear, there are some districts that haven’t even supplied gloves or a mask to their employees.”

This new school uniform for employees might be something that will be become the new normal for educators. The number of new COVID-19 cases in Bergen County is going up. In the past few days, the number of new cases in New Jersey rose to over 700, which is the highest the state has seen since June.

Students and employees who are in the classroom in Paramus have been healthy thus far. No confirmed cases have been reported. Hopefully, this remains the case as time continues to pass.

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