Some students stay remote in Reynoldsburg
After going remote last week due to staffing and bus shortages, some students at Reynoldsburg City Schools will continue online learning this week.
Reynoldsburg High School Livingston and Summit campuses, as well as the Early Learning Preschool Program, will operate remotely beginning Monday and continuing through Friday, according to a message released Sunday by Superintendent Melvin Brown. This is because the district had to alter the bus schedule with several staff members absent due to use of COVID-19.
All elementary and middle schools will continue in-person learning, with buses transporting students to and from school.
In addition, all Reynoldsburg students in grades 2-12 will be asked to carry their district-issued Chromebooks and chargers to and from home in case a school building or the entire district needs to transition to remote learning. Kindergarten and first grade students will receive instructional materials from their schools.
“We know that this is not an optimal situation and we want all of our students back in our buildings,” Brown said in the letter.
“We truly believe the best option is an altered bus schedule. We are doing everything we can to ensure we can run as close to a normal schedule as possible, but we, like other districts, are impacted by the shortage of bus drivers, COVID-19 and other factors. Even with everyone who is certified to drive a bus being utilized (substitutes and other transportation staff ), this week’s altered schedule is necessary to ensure we can transport as many students as possible to and from school.”
Meanwhile, three Columbus City Schools conducted online learning on Monday: Devonshire Alternative Elementary School, Hilltonia Middle School and Woodward Park Middle School and 6th Grade at Walden.
In addition, all middle school athletic practices and games for the remote schools were canceled.
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to rise, some other schools and districts returned from winter break last week without students in their buildings, including Westerville City Schools.
Micah Walker is the Dispatch trending reporter. Reach her at mwalker@dispatch.com or 740-251-7199.