Here’s why we switched to remote learning
During the Kettering Board of Education’s special meeting Aug. 14, I made the recommendation to the board that we begin the 2020-2021 school year remotely in the Kettering City Schools for the first nine weeks.
I shared this information with our families and staff members last week, and wanted to also let our community at large know how and why I arrived at this decision to recommend remote learning.
Let me start by acknowledging that this decision is not going to be popular with many of our families, and I can certainly empathize with those who are passionate about us returning to in-person learning for the coming school year.
No one asked for this pandemic that effectively resulted in the closure of our schools last March. I have not talked to anyone — from parents, to teachers, to students, to building principals to my own personal physicians — who do not agree that without a doubt, in-person, students-in-seats learning is what is best for our young people.
I have wrestled with this decision and spent more than a few sleepless nights trying to balance the absolute benefit of in-person learning to meet the academic and social-emotional needs of our students with the need to assure that we can do this safely for our students and our staff.
During Gov. DeWine’s press conference Aug. 13, Dr. Patty Manning, chief of staff at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, said returning to in-person learning is ideal and should be the goal, provided districts can do four things, and Dr. Manning listed these in order of importance — masking, social distancing, assuring hand hygiene and cleaning surfaces.
While I feel confident in our ability to adhere to three of these four strategies, there just would be no way to assure social distancing — the second most important strategy Dr. Manning identified in her presentation — in the majority of our buildings. I was in one of our smaller elementary buildings this week, and I watched as teachers in two separate classrooms struggled to socially distance 13 and 15 desks, respectively, in their rooms.
My recommendation to move to remote learning for the first quarter is largely based on our inability to safely and effectively socially distance students and staff, coupled with the recommendations of Public Health-Dayton Montgomery County with regard to in-person learning.
During a public forum Aug. 13, we had the honor and privilege of listening to members of our community as they expressed their thoughts about the reopening of our schools. On behalf of the Board of Education, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank all who attended the forum for the thoughtful and respectful way you presented your thoughts and opinions. This public forum only affirmed for me that great schools and a great community go together.
I know that I and most of our board members learned a lot from those who addressed the board at this forum, and what we learned is going to guide us as we solidify what the 20202021 school year will look like.
Working together, I am confident we will continue to provide our students with the education that is expected from the Kettering City Schools.