Plan to reopen Columbus schools changes again
After weeks of shuffling plans, administrators with Columbus City Schools reached an agreement Wednesday with the district's teachers union regarding how classes will be conducted for the rest of the semester.
The new deal, however, means that the timeline for when some students will return to classes is changing yet again. Now students who receive special education services will remain learning from home for the entire first semester, which ends Jan. 15, 2021. Previously, those students who have “complex needs” and were approved for in-person instruction were scheduled to return to school buildings on Monday, just a few days after Wednesday's announcement.
The district “remains committed to identifying and implementing strategies to meet the specific needs of these students,” the update said. “The district will continue to work in partnership with families, teachers, and its community health partners to determine the optimal time to safely bring these specific students back into the classroom.”
Nearly all other Columbus students will be learning remotely through at least Jan. 15, 2021, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The only exception is the more than 1,400 high school students enrolled in career-technical programs at Columbus Downtown High School and Fort Hayes Career Center, who will still return Monday as planned. Students in those programs must hone particular skills inperson to receive certification for careers, so they can graduate on time.
The students will report to classes two days per week for half a day and learn remotely from home the other three days. Students have been notified via mail about when they should report for class. If they haven't yet received this information, they should contact their building principal.
The district has agreed to the following safety procedures in its memorandum of understanding with the 4,000member Columbus Education Association:
h Requiring everyone to wear a mask while on the bus and in school
h Providing handwashing stations, hand sanitizer in every classroom and lab, and gloves and disposable overlay coats, if needed
h Cleaning and sanitizing frequently touched areas, including door handles and faucets, and labs and classrooms daily
h Providing plexiglass dividers, if needed, to maintain 6 feet of social distance between students and employees
h Displaying safety signs on doors, floors and walls
h Providing personal bins for student items and tool bins to sanitize items between use.
“The priority for our union during this pandemic has and will continue to be the health and safety of our school communities,” union President John Coneglio said in Wednesday's update. “We now turn to implementing the new agreement, which includes a number of critical, enforceable health and safety provisions that will provide confidence to our members so that they can focus on providing the best education during this difficult time.”
The district will continue to monitor local health data and trends regarding COVID-19, consult with local public health experts, and make adjustments to its blended learning model as necessary, its update said.
“My goal throughout the discussions with our union partners has been and always will be how to best achieve our priority of providing an equitable education to all students within the context of the health and safety concerns of the pandemic,” Superintendent Talisa Dixon said in the statement.
“I am grateful for the work of the negotiations teams for collaborating on an agreement that prioritizes the needs of our students.”
Dispatch reporter Alissa Widman Neese contributed to this story. jwoods@dispatch.com @Woodsnight