The Gloucester School Board approved a plan Tuesday that would begin to bring students back to county schools this month and have them all back, in a hybrid fashion, by the Nov. 12 start of the second quarter.

The plan, as outlined by division superintendent Walter Clemons and assistant superintendent Chuck Wagner, would begin on Sept. 21. Children in the regional special education program and self-contained classes at all levels would return to their schools along with preschoolers in the VPI and IPOP programs and all kindergartners.

The children would attend schools on a hybrid schedule that would include two days per week of in-school instruction and three days of remote instruction weekly. The entire plan is contingent on the rate of COVID-19 infections in the community at the time each step of the plan is implemented. Parents would also have the option of having their children continue to learn entirely remotely.

Board member Randy Burak pointed out that the Sept. 21 dat...