LOCAL

Ohio school reopening guidelines will be flexible, DeWine says

Catherine Candisky
ccandisky@dispatch.com
Columbus City school buses parked on Tuesday, August 13, 2019 at the Moler Transporation Services Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Less than two months from the traditional start of the school year, local districts are weighing options for reopening schools while they wait for state guidelines on how to keep students and staff safe amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The 2020-21 school year is likely to look very different among Ohio’s more than 600 school districts as educators plan for online lessons, in-classroom learning and a combination of the two for the state’s 1.7 million students.

“There’s a strong consensus in this state, and I agree with it, that we need to get back to school,” Gov. Mike DeWine said, promising to announce recommendations this week for reopening K-12 schools.

Get the news delivered to your inbox: Sign up for our politics newsletter

Omny - https://omny.fm/shows/columbus-headline-news-express/playlists/podcast/embed?style=cover

The governor said the guidelines will offer wide flexibility and no surprises for local school district officials who ultimately must decide when and how their students return to school while minimizing the spread of COVID-19.

“Schools are going to make decisions on what’s best for their kids and what’s best for their communities,” DeWine said.

“Our local schools are in different situations. The spread of COVID in each community is different, and we would urge all of them to do as many measures as they can in regard to health because the spread of COVID is a problem.”

Richard Lewis, executive director for the Ohio School Boards Association, said most schools are waiting to see the state guidelines to plan accordingly.

“Many of the schools are coming up with multiple plans, contingency plans,” he said. “I’ve heard everything from return to school much as normal to some considering a virtual experience to some hybrid models. Some schools have talked about going K-8 in person and running the high schools more virtually.”

Worthington schools hope to be ready for any scenario with three plans: green — all students attend school following strict hygiene protocols; yellow — students alternate between in-classroom and online learning to allow social distancing; and red — everyone working remotely. Any or all of the plans could be used during the school year depending on the circumstances.

In Gahanna, school officials are looking at a hybrid model in which students would rotate between the classroom and online learning either three days/two days a week or every other week. The district also is considering an all-remote learning option for families concerned about their kids returning to the classroom.

“While we continue to plan and prepare for several learning options, we will not make a final decision until guidelines from the Ohio Department of Health, the Franklin County Health Department and the Ohio Department of Education are given,” Gahanna-Jefferson Schools Superintendent Steve Barrett said.

The guidelines DeWine will release are expected to be largely based on a planning guide, Reset & Restart, recently developed by a group of teachers, administrators and other stakeholders led by state Superintendent Paolo DeMaria.

Those recommendations include having students, teachers and staff wear masks, maintaining 6-foot social distancing in classrooms and on buses, banning field trips and prohibiting school visitors. It is also suggests schools establish quarantine rooms for students and staff showing symptoms of COVID-19 and 14-day quarantines for those testing positive or exposed to the virus.

To support social distancing, it suggests schools may reduce the number of students in a classroom by scheduling them for half-day or alternate-day sessions.

Ohio students finished last school year online after DeWine ordered schools closed in mid-March.

The guidelines are expected as new coronavirus cases last week jumped to their highest level since April, driven largely by increasing numbers of young adults, ages 20 to 40, testing positive.

Last week, the governor acknowledged the spike, but said there is widespread consensus across the state that students need to get back to school so they don’t fall further behind than many already have.

“The science doesn’t change; the virus is still with us,” DeWine said. “The schools are going to do the best they can not only to protect students but also to protect teachers, custodians, people in the front office, everyone who works in that building. That’s the goal.”

ccandisky@dispatch.com

@ccandisky