What’s next for schools? Leaders in Butler, Warren county districts look ahead to fall

As high school graduations wrap up, how thousands of area students will be learning at the start of the next school year — which is likely to still be under the shadow of coronavirus — is now the top focus of local school officials.

And some area school systems are also reaching out to school families for input.

The deep and wide changes brought on by state and local orders in the wake of the coronavirus, which shuttered all Ohio K-12 schools since March and forced remote learning for millions, still have many unknowns.

So local education officials in Butler and Warren counties are exploring three main approaches.

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

One scenario includes a possible decline of coronavirus infections over summer break to the point state and local health officials approve the reopening of schools to near-normal operations, with in-person class attendance but with increased contamination precautions that may involve students and teachers wearing protective masks.

A second possibility is hybrid approach of reopening of school buildings for some students and teachers at various days and hours to keep a level of social distancing that may still be required by health officials.

This may involve students learning on a rotating scheduling that would include remote-learning from home at some times and learning inside a school – under controlled distancing parameters – at other times during the upcoming school year.

And a third broad would be a continuation of school building shutdowns that marked the end of the just-finished school year. This would see students who are able to learn remotely via digital instruction online would do so, perhaps in an even more expanded capacity as some districts shift money, digital learning resources and staffing to remote learning for the 2020-2021 school year.

But for some districts – like Middletown Schools - with relatively high percentages of low-income families who have limited or zero internet access and digital learning devices for their children, a continuation of remote learning is problematic.

Mike Holbrook, superintendent of the 10,000-student Hamilton Schools, said districts are in uncharted territory.

“The times we are currently experiencing are unprecedented and unsettling,” said Holbrook.

Lisa Tuttle-Huff, superintendent of Madison Schools said area schools share the challenges of all American schools as they try to plan out what student learning will look like as national health experts predict the coronavirus may linger and perhaps even flare up in a second wave of infections in the fall.

“School administrators across the nation are faced with addressing this historically unique problem and contemplating how it will affect student learning,” said Tuttle-Huff.

Much, they said, depends on the anticipated further mandates from state and local health officials and what they allow schools to do and not do for the beginning portion of the coming school year.

Area school officials said they are communicating with other local districts as well as working with the Ohio Department of Education, state health officials and local health agencies as well as awaiting directives from the Ohio Legislature and Governor Mike DeWine.

Officials at Lakota Schools are far into planning for next school year, they said.

“We would certainly prefer that our students are able to physically return to school in August and while we continue to wait for guidance from Gov. DeWine and the state and local health departments, we are building out three different scenarios,” said Lakota spokeswoman Betsy Fuller.

At Lakota schools this may include “traditional school where all students are back in class every day, an enhanced remote learning option if schools were to remain closed, and a blended option that would combine both in-person and virtual learning to adhere to any physical distancing guidelines that may be in place,” Fuller said.

Lakota – along with other area districts including Middletown, Monroe and Kings – has been surveying school families for their ideas and preferences on what future school learning should look like.

They and other district leaders encourage school families to participate via school district websites. Families without internet access will be surveyed via phone or mail surveys.

No one knows for certain but most area school officials said they anticipate having their plans in place by some time in July – but again with much depending on state and local directives.

The plans of area districts may vary but the goal is the same, said Tuttle-Huff.

“Every school in Butler County is dedicated to trying to figure out how to best serve students in a brick and mortar building or in a virtual world during this pandemic,” she said.

“Our students deserve the best we can give them under the circumstances,” she said.


Area school leaders exploring 3 plans for start of schools in August

In general local school officials are considering three strategies for teaching students in the first part of the 2020-2021 school, which now is scheduled to start mid-to-late August.

1. A return to normal school operations with students learning in-person - while possibly wearing masks and using social distancing.

2. Continuing the closure of school buildings and remote-learning by students at home.

3. A hybrid approach combining the other two strategies that may include students and teachers rotating schedules of attending schools and remote learning.

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