COLUMBUS — Republican Gov. Mike DeWine says schools across Ohio will stay closed for the remainder of the school year while classes continue remotely.
DeWine says he is concerned for the continued safety of students, teachers and communities. He says returning students to their classrooms could lead to new cases of COVID-19.
DeWine says teachers and administrators also expressed concern about another disruption to a school year negatively affecting students, who need continuity.
No decision has been made about the fall.
The decision did not come as a surprise to Wynford Local Schools Superintendent Fred Fox who said his mission is for the district to continue to serve the district’s families.
“Unfortunately, its makes sense,” Fox said. “We will do our best to support our students and families. Plan for the and hope for the best.”
Crestline Exempted Village Schools Superintendent Matt Henderson said he respects the governor’s work to keep students and school personnel safe.
“This pandemic has placed our governor and state leadership in a very tenuous position, balancing the safety of our population with the economic momentum we need for growth as a state,” Henderson said. “I feel this is the best decision he could make because it allows school leaders to protect the health of their students, staff and families. I would rather have our kids in the building learning and performing on the athletic fields. But their health and safety is my priority. Our families and staff have dealt with this pandemic with patience and understanding. I look for this to continue for the remainder of the year.”
Colonel Crawford Local Schools Superintendent Todd Martin said his staff has been working to have a plan in place should DeWine have decided to close school’s for the remainder of the school year.
“We have been anticipating this announcement for sometime now. It would be difficult to return to the normal school setting and comply with the social distancing regulations,” Martin said. “I believe that Governor DeWine made the correct call as most schools only have a few weeks of school left going into May. It will take some time for schools to put together a plan, if social distancing continues to be a requirement moving into the fall. Students are currently working on the second set of assignments via distance learning. I am very pleased with our staff, as they have worked extremely hard in preparing lessons via on-line assignments and also hard-copy lessons for those without Internet access. I am also proud of our students, as they have done a tremendous job adjusting to the new normal of distance learning. As we finish out the year, all hard-copy assignments will be mailed directly to those students without Internet access. Teachers are attempting to make weekly contact with each and every student via Zoom meetings, Google Classroom, e-mail, phone calls, etc.
“Our hearts go out to our seniors, as they are the ones who have truly been impacted. Now that the announcement has been made to finish the school year via distance learning, the district will begin to share out ideas for graduation and other activities designed to reach out to our students.”
Schools have been closed since DeWine signed an executive order March 9 and has extended the closure now two times, including the announcement Monday.