The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Clearview Board of Education reluctant to send children to in-person classes
Several Clearview Local Schools Board of Education members expressed concern about reopening inperson classes at the end of the month.
During an Aug. 10 board meeting, member Mike Post commended the district for its hard work during the meeting.
Post said if the matter was entirely up to him, he would not send children back to school at the anticipated start date of Aug. 24.
“I fear sending them back; that’s just my opinion,” he said. “I wish we’d gotten a lot more guidance from Columbus on this.
“I think they really shirked their responsibilities when it came to this.”
Member Heidi Adkins agreed with Post, adding that districts in the local area are on completely different pages in comparison with Clearview, and that these difficult decisions put an extraordinary burden on administrators.
Post said a part of him fears the worst.
“I think we should be paying attention to what’s going on with this virus,” he said. “I don’t understand the need to send sheep to slaughter.
“I feel like there’s going to be something.”
Adkins said with two children of her own in the district, she has enrolled them in virtual learning for the first semester for the school year.
“For us, it is about the safety,” she said.
The Adkins’ children make up a portion of the 34 percent of Clearview district students who opted for the online learning option, with the most of those students from Vincent Elementary School.
Superintendent Jerome Davis said the district worked for hours to come up with its hybrid learning plan, adding that there is no way to remain completely fool-proof.
“We all stand a chance (in getting sick) in anything we do,” Davis said, adding that the plan’s start date could change come additional guidance.
Davis also said he anticipates that fall sports will be canceled within the next few weeks.
Board member Darlene Baker said children who live in unsafe homes find a haven in coming to school every day.
“I know for a fact, there’s so many kids in this district that this is their only safety,” Baker said.
The district is battling two evils, with children experiencing abuse most likely opting to come to school in-person, she said.
Member Michael Kokinda said at this point, it’s important the district controls what it can to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.
“I think we should be paying attention to what’s going on with this virus. I don’t understand the need to send sheep to slaughter.” — Clearview School Board member Michael Post