District makes updates to reopening plan

In a video released last month by Mentor Schools, Superintendent Bill Porter went over their re-opening plan for students this fall.

“It’s been about three weeks since I shared our return to school program (in this same format) and already so much has changed in the COVID-19 world,” he said in July.

And he was right, there have already been several significant updates for Mentor students and families, and since that video, another one has been released.

One of the updates mentioned includes choosing the “Hybrid” model for instruction.

“We are starting in the hybrid model for our families who chose in-person learning,” the district stated. “Two thousand students will be completing at least the first semester of the school year remotely, as their families chose Mentor Schools Online,” says the district.

Like most school districts initially, they offered traditional in-school learning and online education when it comes to learning options.

Meanwhile, the “All-In plan” was in place when it is safe enough for all the students in the in-person model to return to school five days a wee while the “Remote plan” is in place when the district, county, or state is experiencing higher risks due to COVID. Students would learn exclusively from home with their assigned teachers.

The “Hybrid plan” was to be used if there was a moderate risk level to limit the number of students attending in-person classes.

Since then, the district has committed to the “Hybrid” plan for the first nine weeks of the school year unless the county goes to red or purple levels of the state’s coronavirus tracking, and then Mentor would quickly switch to all remote learning for their students.

The first day of school, Sept. 2, will be an in-person day for the A group 6-12 students (last names A-L) and in-person elementary students, and Remote Wednesdays will begin Sept. 9.

“Most people picked inperson learning,” the district stated. “We strongly believe in the importance of in-person learning and that it is a better fit for many of our students, not only for their academic needs but also for their social and emotional needs.

“We want to have our students in our school buildings, but we will only do so if we can safely,” the district added. “We are in close contact with the Lake County General Health District about our plans. To make school as safe as possible, our in-person learning will be conducted with a serious layer of safety approach.”

For kindergarten through fifth grade, students coming to school on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, while learning remotely on Wednesdays to allow for a deep cleaning day.

Grades 6-12 would consist of students with last names beginning with the letters A through L attending in person on Mondays and Tuesdays, while students with last names beginning with M to Z would attend in person on Thursdays and Fridays.

For any remote learning days, there are structured Zoom periods scheduled for grades 6-12 and K-5.

When students are not attending in person, they would join the class remotely from home the other three days of the week. No students or staff would be in person on Wednesdays to allow for a deep cleaning day, but teachers would still meet with students remotely.

Class sections will be added in elementary buildings for this school year by hiring substitute teachers for the entire year and spreading students out to achieve social distancing of at least 6 feet.

Mentor is still taking a layered approach for all in-person plans, including “best practices” applied each day to mitigate the spread of COVID. These include:

Vigilantly assessing symptoms and advocating for students to stay home when sick

Face-covering requirements for students (f every age, unless documented medically exempt

Social distancing at least six feet in classroom spaces Hand-washing breaks Abundant hand sanitizer Increased school cleaning and disinfecting with attention to high traffic areas

Physical dividers and more.

The requirement about face masks/face coverings represents a change from the Ohio Department of Health.

The department now requires masks/face coverings for all school-aged children. Previously they were required at third grade and above, but only strongly recommended for second grade and below.

Staff returned to their classrooms on Aug. 25 while students will start their first day with a delayed start on Sept. 2.

According to the district, the extracurricular activities that can run while meeting their guidelines will be run. This includes clubs and activities, though some clubs may be run remotely.

“Extracurricular opportunities for students help us ensure we are providing a well-rounded education, which is an important component of Mentor Schools’ high-quality experience for all,” the district stated.

For more information about the district plan or to stay up to date, visit mentorschools.net.

“We are starting in the hybrid model for our families who chose in-person learning. Two thousand students will be completing at least the first semester of the school year remotely, as their families chose Mentor Schools Online.” — Superintendent Bill Porter