Lorain Schools drafting its year plans, schedules

Lorain City Schools is working on a second draft of its school year plan.

Ross May, executive director of strategic planning, said the district recently went through a vetting process of the plan, including a random selection of staff members and families in the district.

About 40 participants gave their feedback, with strong points being student and staff safety, and weak points focused on vulnerable student services and communication.

Other clarification asked for by participants included defining student attendance and staff reporting to work, May said.

The district also is working to solidify plans for class schedules and curriculum, which largely phases in online learning and Zoom sessions.

Barb Bowen, associate director of instructional technology, said during the meeting that the current draft schedule is being formed with the knowledge

that children of different ages in a household may be taking care of each other if their parents are working.

“The big discussion was around the fact that we knew different ages of children would be home at the same time and parents would need assistance also,” Bowen said.

Currently, that schedule consists of synchronous and asynchronous Zoom sessions, synchronous meaning that students are on call with their teachers; and asynchronous meaning that students log into a work session, where they can watch an instructional video and work or reach out

to the teacher or other peers with questions.

High school students would have synchronous days Tuesdays and Thursdays, middle school students on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays and elementary students on Mondays through Thursdays each week.

Elementary students would have asynchronous instruction on Fridays.

More information on the school’s plan was to be discussed during a virtual town hall meeting with health experts at 5 p.m., Aug. 13, available through the TV20 YouTube Live station.