Columbus City Schools will reopen 19 buildings Monday as heat subsides

As a heatwave subsides this week, all but one of the 20 Columbus City Schools that didn’t start the school year last week because they lacked air conditioning will be open for in-person instruction on Monday, the district announced Friday evening.

That leaves the only building in the district to remain closed to students at the start of the week being Whetstone High School in Clintonville, which is still setting up classrooms for in-person learning because of construction work. It will reopen on Tuesday.

“We look forward to having all of our students back” by Tuesday said district spokeswoman Jacqueline Bryant.

The high school and middle school buildings opening Monday are:

h Columbus Alternative High School (CAHS) h Eastmoor Academy h Arts Impact Middle School h Columbus City Preparatory School for Boys h Johnson Park Middle School h Mifflin Middle School h Westmoor Middle School h Yorktown Middle School They will be joined by 11 elementary schools: h Broadleigh h Columbus Gifted Academy h Como h Fairwood h Hubbard h Maize h North Linden h Siebert h Valleyview h West Broad h Westgate

For Whetstone students, Monday will be an “asynchronous” remote learning day, meaning teachers will send out assignments for students to complete independently, the district said. Students will be able to pick up grab-andgo meals at the school from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Monday.

The Whetstone building has been undergoing renovations throughout the summer, which has prevented teachers and staff from being able to get classrooms and common areas ready to welcome students. Air conditioning in the building will be fully operational on Monday, the district said.

Nearly 7,300 students were affected by the partial heat shutdown, or about 16% of the district’s total student population. The rest of the district – Ohio’s largest with about 47,000 students spanning more than 100 buildings – began the new school year in person Thursday, marking the first time for most students returning to in-person classes five days a week since the COVID-19 pandemic began in spring 2020.

The National Weather Service forecast for Columbus calls for Monday to have a high of 87 degrees, with a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms. That’s four degrees lower than the 90degree highs predicted for Saturday and Sunday. wbush@gannett.com @Reporterbush

COURTNEY HERGESHEIMER/ COLUMBUS DISPATCH Students arrive at Avondale Elementary School Thursday on the first day of school for Columbus City Schools. Of the district’s 20 schools that were not able to begin in-person classes on Thursday due to lack of air conditioning, all but one will resume in-person learning on Monday.