School reopening plan reconsidered
Jim Woods and Alissa Widman Neese
Columbus City Schools’ plan to partially reopen school buildings on Sept. 8 might change because of concerns about the continuing increase in coronavirus infections in central Ohio.
The plan was for a blended reopening of buildings for students in kindergarten through eighth grade for at least the first half of the 2020-21 school year, according to a June 30 presentation. Students would be split into two groups that would attend classes two days in person and learn at home the other three days.
High school students, meanwhile, would attend remotely full-time.
But Columbus City Schools Superintendent Talisa Dixon, in a Zoom call with reporters Sunday afternoon, said the continuing uptick in coronavirus cases in Columbus is causing her to pause. It’s possible all students might have to take classes remotely if school starts on Sept. 8.
“As of now, we may not be able to reopen Sept. 8 in a blended manner,” Dixon said.
On Monday, the district’s teacher’s union released an “open letter” signed by about 2,700 educators — about twothirds of its members — calling upon district leaders to start the 2020-21 school year entirely online.
“The stakes are too high for experiments. Make no mistake, this is a life and death decision,” the Columbus Education Association’s letter said. “One community outbreak, one hospitalization, one death of a student, CCS staff member or community member is an unacceptable price to pay. We must continue the education of CCS students in the safest environment possible, their homes.”
Noting the burden this arrangement could place on many working parents, the letter also called on Columbus business leaders to support them by investing in technology for students and “offering living wages, flexible hours, childcare support and meaningfully reduced workloads for all employees with children who will be learning from home.”
Dixon said Sunday that the potential change in plans became evident after consultation last week with Columbus Public Health.
Cases have been trending upward in Franklin County, which has the most total confirmed and probable coronavirus cases in the state — nearly 15,000 as of Sunday, according to the health department. About 11,300 of those cases are within Columbus.
Columbus Public Health Commissioner Dr. Mysheika Roberts said the department would like to see four consecutive weeks of a downward trend in the number coronavirus cases before school buildings would reopen.
“Clearly, we’re not there today,” Roberts told The Dispatch on Monday. “If anything, we’re going in the wrong direction. We have three weeks of an upward trend.”
No decision has been made yet, Dixon said. She said she shared the information about her concerns with staff members on Friday.
“I know parents want to know that information right now but I just don’t know the answer right now,” Dixon said. “As early as possible, I will let parents and staff know.”
Nationwide, several of the country’s largest districts have recently announced plans for remote learning to start the upcoming school year, including Atlanta, Houston, Nashville, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco.
Columbus parents already have the option to enroll their K-12 students in the Columbus City Schools Digital Academy and opt for online learning, regardless of the district’s decision, through Aug 1. So far, about 1,000 of the district’s nearly 50,000 students have enrolled in that option, Dixon said.
The district distributed about 20,000 Google Chromebook laptops, which have built-in internet access, to students this spring by request, as well as about 1,000 wireless hotspots. Dixon said Sunday that the district is planning to purchase additional Chromebooks and hotspots for students to use this upcoming school year.
Ultimately, the final decision on how schools reopen will be based on Columbus Public Health’s recommendations, she said.
“We want to make sure everyone is safe from this nasty, horrible virus,” Dixon said. jwoods@dispatch.com @Woodsnight awidmanneese@dispatch.com @Alissawidman