Jackson Liberty High School athletics suspended indefinitely

Due to COVID-19 exposure, Jackson Liberty High School will move to full remote learning effective immediately and has shut down all of its athletic programs until further notice, the Jackson School District announced in an email to staff and parents on Thursday afternoon.

The email stated that two individuals at Jackson Liberty have tested positive for COVID-19. After consulting with the Ocean County Health Department, the district made the decision to move all students at the high school to full remote learning beginning Friday, Oct. 23. and through Oct. 30. The district has a week off for fall break from Monday, Nov. 2 through Sunday, Nov. 8 and anticipates being able to return to its in-person learning program on Nov. 9.

Originally, outdoor athletic activities were going to continue during the remote learning period with the exception of the girls soccer team, which was set to suspend its practices and games through Nov. 5. Less than an hour later, however, a second email was sent out extending the athletic suspension to all sports with an open-ended return date.

Jackson Liberty's football team was shut down for a two-week period earlier this month, forcing the cancelation of its Week 2 game vs. Point Boro. The Lions returned to action this past Monday in a 34-7 loss to Neptune and were scheduled to play at Marlboro this Saturday at noon.

The complete letter is available on the school district's web site.

So far, Matawan, Jackson Liberty, Manalapan and Point Beach have missed regular-season games because of COVID-19 exposure within their schools/programs.

Managing editor Bob Badders can be reached at bob.badders@townsquaremedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @Bob_Badders. Like Shore Sports Network on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube channel for all the latest video highlights.