At last night's board meeting we had some technical difficulties with the livestream, so I want to make sure you're caught up. If you'd rather watch the recording, you can do so at this link. Our presentation for the evening can be found here.
NO CONTACT SPORTS FOR FALL | At the Board of Education meeting last night, I announced that we would be canceling the fall season of several sports and extracurricular activities including football, volleyball, soccer, cheer and marching band as a result of our inability to keep our children and their families safe from the spread of the Coronavirus. We are still investigating whether or not our students can participate in golf and cross country while following all of the necessary precautions .This decision before the Board of Education meeting last night occurred after many lengthy conversations with members of our Board of Education, district administrators and health professionals over the past month. One of the many challenges we could not resolve was based on the dangers of moving forward into the next phases of competition and our ability -- or in this case, our inability -- to keep our children and their families safe. I want to be clear that not only were our Athletic Director, Band Directors and Coaches following all of the expectations outlined by the state, they were exceeding them. However, as looked to progress to the next phase of participation as outlined by the state, we knew we would no longer be able to keep our play environments consistent with what the health experts recommend. The reality is that we cannot play these sports, participate in marching band, and also follow the recommended behaviors -- such as wearing masks and staying six feet apart. During our numerous conversations as well as during the meeting last night, we weighed the health risks of our children -- and the families they go home to -- with participating with each other, and then factored in the increased risk of competition by bringing in buses of athletes and musicians from other schools into Lorain or bringing in buses of our students into other communities. I made this decision because it was clear to me that we could not protect our children and the families they go home to under these circumstances. Students have suffered a great deal since the introduction of COVID into our lives last March. We will continue to create ways to engage our students in activities while keeping them out of harm's way. VIRTUAL TOWN HALL THURSDAY AT 5:00 | I invite you to join our virtual Town Hall on Thursday, August 13, 2020 at 5:00PM on TV20's YouTube Live station. Members of our Board of Education will be joined by County Health Commissioner Dave Covell, Mercy School Based Health Clinic's Katie Malear, CNP and others, as we discuss health and safety issues regarding contact sports, remote learning versus in-person school, and the latest research findings regarding COVID-19, children and the community we serve.
STAFF TECHNOLOGY DISTRIBUTION & EDCAMPS | This week we are distributing laptops to student-facing staff members such as teachers, paraprofessionals, resource officers, and social workers in preparation for remote learning to begin September 8th. I also want to recognize the many staff members participating in our virtual EdCamps -- online sessions in which our staff members are leading their peers in sharing best practices, tools and guidance to best engage and facilitate remote learning this fall. Hundreds of staff have voluntarily participated in these training sessions already, ahead of the official three weeks of training which begins next Monday, August 17th.
"OPEN WITH CARE" PLAN IN FINAL REVIEW PHASE | Our plan for a return to learn this fall has been informed by district staff, families, students, local health experts and governing agencies such as the CDC, ODH and ODE. We are now in the final steps of our planning process:- STEP 10: Vetting Process | There were 39 total participants, including staff and family members, who were randomly selected using a number generator. Participants provided feedback on staff and student safety, effectiveness of the plan for our most vulnerable students, and clarity of clarity of communication processes and protocols.
- STEP 11: Second Draft of Plan | Our workgroups adjusted the plan based upon feedback provided through the vetting process into a second draft.
- STEP 12: Focus Groups | 6-8 groups will review the second draft of our plan to provide feedback on the plan as a whole, our approach to synchronous and asynchronous learning, service to our most vulnerable students, technology and how we can better engage with staff and families. Focus groups will consist of staff and families who will be randomly selected to participate.
NEW OGT GUIDELINES FOR LCS SENIORS 1994 - 2017 | New guidelines within the Ohio Revised Code allow local school districts to grant diplomas to students who were seniors in the Lorain City Schools between 1994 - 2017 who meet the credit requirement for their graduation year.If you were planning on taking the OGT and you believe that you have all the required credits needed to graduate, please fill out the form at this link by August 28, 2020 and someone from the district will be in contact with you. A full review of available student transcripts will be done in order to approve your graduation status.
UPDATE YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION | The Lorain City Schools continues its efforts to get in touch with every one of our families to ensure you have the latest updates, resources and supports. If you have moved or changed your cell phone number or email since last school year, please complete this form so that we can get you the information and services your child(ren) and family need.
We will continue to share frequent updates in preparation for fall.
Thanks,
Jeff |