CEO: Blended learning uncertain for 2020-2021 school year

Lorain City Schools will consider using blended online and in-person learning this year, but there is not yet an exact plan for how to do that, said CEO/Superintendent Jeff Graham.

The blended instruction was listed as a possibility Aug. 25 in Graham’s latest email newsletter discussing the planning process for the 2020-2021 school year.

School leaders in Lorain and other districts are exploring the best options to maintain quality education while ensuring student and staff safety during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Blended online and inperson learning could be part of educational instruction when Lorain Schools resumes classes on Sept. 8, but is not final yet, Graham said.

“We are not sure if we are able to do it or not,” he said.

On July 26, Graham said he and other staff began receiving emails questioning a Morning Journal report about the possibility of blended learning as a way to deal with health precautions needed for COVID-19.

He said the method would fulfill some needs for students and their families, but school faculty and staff may not be able to provide face-toface instruction due to their own health factors.

“We recognize there’s need,” Graham said. “We don’t know if there’s capacity to meet the need if we don’t have staff.”

In the July 25 newsletter, Graham said family surveys “were clear that caregivers of younger students shouldn’t be forced to choose between working and parenting — this dynamic creates many challenges for the families we serve and we cannot ignore the impact that a lack of income has on our children because they become more vulnerable to hunger and homelessness.”

“Students have varying needs that are often difficult to meet remotely,” Graham said. “Therefore, we are investigating our capacity to offer a blended model — one which includes some form of in-person learning — all while defining exactly what thatwouldlooklikeintheLorain City Schools.

“That being said, we cannot ignore that half our staff meet the CDC criteria for being at increased risk of severe COVID-19 illness, which greatly limits our options for in-school learning,” he said.

In the newsletter, Graham said “remote learning will be part of our plan,” and the district will supply computers and Internet connectivity for families that need it.

Additional information is expected when the Lorain Board of Education and Academic Distress Commission hold a joint meeting scheduled at 5 p.m. July 30. That meeting will be at Lorain High School but the public is encouraged to watch it remotely via Lorain Schools TV 20 channel.