The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
District sets date for opening schools
Students can return to classrooms Jan. 11
Lorain City Schools is ready to keep students and staff safe, so the district will resume in-person learning for students and staff on Jan. 11, said CEO/Superintendent Jeff Graham.
But remote learning will not stop because the return to classrooms will be part of a hybrid method that combines in-person and online instruction due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
On Nov. 16, Lorain Schools held an online town hall meeting to discuss how the district will keep students and staff healthy and free of COVID-19.
Graham recounted the recent history and explained why Lorain Schools students will come back even as county and state health agencies are reporting rising numbers of COVID-19 cases.
At the start of the school year, Lorain Schools was not ready for a return and staff and student families were not comfortable with coming back, Graham said.
“We were not ready to keep people safe at the beginning of the school year,” he said. “We are now.”
The district is working with health experts to mitigate the risk so that if a student or teacher comes to school and has COVID-19, no one else should catch it if everyone is doing the right things, Graham said.
That holds true even as more people are testing positive for the virus, he said.
“The number of cases in the public should not have an impact on that if we do things the right way,” Graham said.
The town hall discussion lasted more than 90 minutes with school board members, administrators and health experts weighing in on the latest plans to ensure safety despite COVID-19.
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Lorain Schools has published a nine-minute video explaining the schedule and safety procedures for the return.
Starting this week, Lorain Schools families should complete the Learning Commitment Form, choosing an option to continue remote learning or to join in the hybrid learning schedule.
Parents should complete a form for each student by Nov. 26.
From Jan. 4 to 8, staff will return for livestream instruction as students return for orientation; they will tour schools, learn the new procedures and get a COVID-19 test.
Two student cohorts
For the Jan. 11 return, students joining in-person will be divided into two cohorts.
The first, group A, would learn in-person at school on Mondays and Tuesdays while the second, group B, would learn from home.
Wednesdays will be a learn-at-home day for all with materials provided by teachers.
Those days will be used for small group instruction, professional development and parent support.
On Thursdays and Fridays, the groups will switch,
meaning group B students will attend classes at school while group A follows along through online instruction.
Students in the same family will remain in the same cohort for ease of scheduling.
Students will continue instruction with their current teachers.
Current classes will be kept together.
Layers of safety
The district will use a “swiss cheese” model with layered support to keep the schools safe for students and staff, according to the plan.
The more steps people can take, the safer they will be from COVID-19, according to plans.
The steps are the same as those in many schools, businesses and government offices, and by now, are familiar to many people.
• Assess symptoms. Families should check their students and look for symptoms, including fever above 100 degrees, coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle and body aches, headaches, loss of taste or smell, runny nose, sore throat, congestion, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea and repeated shaking.
Symptoms may be mild or severe.
Parents can schedule appointments for students at the Mercy Health Clinic, at Washington Elementary School, 1025 W. 23rd St., by calling 440-370-5446.
• Wash and sanitize
Families should check their students and look for symptoms, including fever above 100 degrees, coughing, shortness of breath, fatigue, muscle and body aches, headaches, loss of taste or smell, runny nose, sore throat, congestion, nausea or vomiting, diarrhea and repeated shaking. Symptoms may be mild or severe. hands. Hand sanitizer stations will be available in high-traffic areas.
• Clean and sanitize shared surfaces. Sharing materials will be minimized and items will be sanitized between uses.
• Social distancing is a critical part of the plan. Buildings will be configured to maintain six feet of space between people to avoid spreading COVID-19 through respiratory droplets.
• Wearing a mask or face covering over the mouth and nose. Masks will be mandatory in classrooms and buses.
The district will supply them or students and staff may bring their own.
• Titan Testing protocol. Lorain Schools has joined with Lorain County Public Health, Mercy Health of Lorain and Case Western Reserve University for testing.
The results will be published on the district’s COVID-19 data dashboard.