Students in Mentor, Kirtland districts will return to in-person learning on Jan. 11

Students will be returning to in-person instruction for the first time since late November in the Mentor and Kirtland school districts as both superintendents announced hybrid learning will resume on Jan. 11.

When both districts moved to strictly remote learning on Nov. 23 amid rising rates of novel coronavirus cases in Lake County, they ended up setting goals to bring students back to school buildings after the holiday break.

Mentor Superintendent Bill Porter said in an announcement sent out to the district’s families that while students were away from the schools staff began the project of installing hundreds of bipolar ionization devices in the buildings, which will improve the indoor air quality.

“These devices work by neutralizing particulate matter, bacteria and virus cells, odorous gases and aerosols, and Volatile Organic Compounds (better known as VOCs),” he said. “This technology has been found to be very effective against the coronavirus, as well as other viruses, and essentially will help clean and purify the air for years to come in learning spaces all across the district.”

Mentor’s hybrid learning format consists of kindergarten through fifthgrade students attending classes in person every school day except Wednesdays, when they learn remotely. Sixth- through 12th-grade students will attend classes in-person two days a week — either Mondays and Tuesdays or Thursdays and Fridays depending on last name, and learn remotely the other days.

Porter stated they do anticipate continuing issues with staffing due to CO

VID-19 cases, quarantines and other illnesses causing more absences than usual. He added that they will do their best to adjust accordingly to these issues.

He said that all students, whether they participate in hybrid learning or choose to remain fully remote, will continue to be eligible for free grab-andgo style meals provided by the schools via U.S. Department of Agriculture funding.

Both the Mentor and Kirtland district superintendents said they reached the decision to move back to hybrid learning with the guidance of local health department officials.

Kirtland Superintendent Chad VanArnhem said that they plan to operate on a hybrid model through the end of January, and will reevaluate whether to make any changes approaching that point.

“This schedule allows for half the number of students in the physical classroom at the same time,” VanArnhem said. “We will work in collaboration with our health department to determine what the learning modality will be the week of Jan. 25).

VanArnhem said both middle school and high school sports have continued to play through the various transitions, and starting on Jan. 11 they will begin to allow two parents per student into their games.