Schools open at full capacity for first time in 17 months
Brittany Miller quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks just before they soaked into her cloth face mask.
Finally, it was her youngest child’s first day of school at Avondale Elementary School – well, sort of. Technically that came this time last year, from behind the screen of the Chromebook laptop she used for virtual learning. And again, kind of, in the spring, when students returned to buildings for some part-time in-person learning.
But on Thursday, as 6-year-old Asha Wilson entered the first grade, it finally, officially felt like the real thing.
For the first time in 17 months – or 531 days, for those keeping track – Columbus City Schools buildings are back open at full capacity, five days a week.
“I’m just so excited for them,” Miller, 32, said, watching as Asha walked alongside her older sister, 8-year-old Alana Slaughter, a third-grader.
Miller stood with a group of parents and teachers outside the Franklinton school, cheering and clapping as the children filed inside.
Stinger, mascot for the Columbus Blue Jackets, greeted students outside the door, posing for photos and doling out high-fives. The green bug’s typical toothy grin was concealed behind a giant navy face covering.
He was being a good role model for the kids, school principal April Knight noted. The district is mandating masks indoors for all staff members and students.
Avondale Elementary School has had a partnership with the Blue Jackets for years, organizing events such as a trick-or-treat at Nationwide Arena for young children and a pen-pal program for the school’s older students, said Ivy Johnson, the hockey team’s community development coordinator.
Knight said Stinger’s familiar face probably helped quell some first-dayof-school nerves.
After all, a lot has changed since the school, which enrolls more than 200 students, which at last had all of them under one roof.
“We’re thrilled to have our babies back with us,” Knight said. “We want to make sure they feel safe and cared for ... and that we’re providing them with the education that they deserve.”
Overall, the first day of school went off mostly without a hitch, Columbus City Schools spokeswoman Jacqueline Bryant told The Dispatch. Despite initial concerns about shortages of bus drivers, the district started the morning with “more than enough” drivers to cover 540 routes, Bryant said.
But for about 16% of the district’s nearly 47,000 students, in-person learning will have to wait just a little while longer. On Tuesday night, officials announced that 20 schools would not be opening their doors until Monday
at the earliest because of sweltering temperatures and humidity. Of those buildings, 14 aren’t fully air conditioned and won’t be until the 2022-23 school year. Two had air conditioning systems in need of repairs and four had systems that were slated for installation this summer but not finished yet.
Bryant didn’t have any updates to share Thursday on whether physical classes will actually resume Monday. For now, those students will be learning online.
Through Sunday, high temperatures in Columbus are expected to be in the low 90s, according to the National Weather Service. On Monday and Tuesday, they’ll dip into the mid-80s.
John Coneglio, president of the Columbus Education Association teachers union, said keeping staff and students out of the buildings was a good call.
“Unfortunately, this is not the way anybody wanted to start the school year,” he said. “But how much learning is going to go on when the lights are off and it’s 95 degrees and humid? I think it’s best for all that we start in a virtual setting and not in these miserably hot rooms.”
Communities in Schools of Ohio, a nonprofit that supports several area schools, is collecting fans and monetary donations to help students cool off. To make a donation, call 614-268-2472, go to communitiesinschools.org, or email Amy Gordon, the group’s executive director, at agordon@ciskids.org. awidmanneese@dispatch.com @Alissawidman