Hopatcong High School Reopens, Shelter Closes

After two weeks of being a temporary home to hundreds of displaced residents, Hopatcong High School will reopen its doors on Wednesday.

The shelter that opened two weeks ago at the height of Superstorm Sandy will shut down by Monday night, District Superintendent Dr. Charles Maranzano said.

"It's been very complicated but we were able to service the needs for the citizens in a very effective way," he said. "It was highly successful and served an incredible unanticipated need."

Most of the borough had power restored on Sunday night, 13 days after the storm left the town completely in the dark.

Maranzano said there were about a dozen residents who were still staying at the shelter on Monday, but the borough is finding them either another shelter or housing.

Maranzano said the school will be completely sanitized and cleaned on Monday and Tuesday before the students return. He said the rooms that had bedding and clothing in them will be fumigated to address any concerns of infestation.

Contrary to some rumors, Maranzano said there was no evidence of any bug beds at the high school.

Maranzano said school officials are already looking at ways to make up the lost time. He said they submitted a proposal to the state to consider extending the school days so that the total hours would equal the required 180 days.

He said that if the state doesn't allow the extended days, the school would have to add more days at the end of the year. Maranzano said this would put the students at a disadvantage because of the fixed AP and HSPA test dates.

"I want our childen to have as much instruction prior to those dates as possible," he said. "And if they allow us to make the time up by minutes, we can accomplish that, our children will be  better prepared for state testing."

Maranzano said he's also in contact with the Commissioner of Education, and will formulate several different possibilities based on what the commissioner grants the district.