As I highlighted last week, Governor DeWine officially closed all school buildings for the remainder of the academic year. I am writing to you today to provide additional information as we wrap up instruction for the 2019-20 school year and below are some sections that highlight specific areas of interest.
In advance of jumping into the details, I want to share some thoughts and acknowledgments. First, I continue to be proud of the school district and community for their response to the challenges due to the global pandemic. It is inspiring to see so many acts of helping one another and trying to maintain a sense of normalcy.
Today is National School Lunch Hero Day. Traditionally, this day is to acknowledge the impact school nutrition professionals make upon children. Obviously, the latter part of this year is different, but it does not minimize the dedication of our staff, especially as we have thus far distributed more than 14,000 student meals during this school closure. Please help me acknowledge our dedicated food service staff, led by supervisor, Mrs. Ginger Parsons, on this important date. Also, below are additional details about student meals.
Next week is National Teacher Appreciation Week (May 4 – 8). Although this year is atypical, the dedication of our teaching staff is anything but typical. A lot of what occurs in education involves planning. There are state education standards that translate to classroom instruction. Obviously, there are a lot of steps in between standards and instruction and again educators focus a lot of time and effort on planning. Therefore, consider what our teaching staff have accomplished to move from a traditional educational environment to an online/virtual platform with little preparation due to a global pandemic. I cannot feel more proud of our teaching staff and want to acknowledge their efforts on behalf of our students, families and community.
As we prepare for National Teacher Appreciation Week, it also seems befitting to honor our parents and caregivers. My wife and I have three children who are now young adults and I learned years ago the best educational experience includes collaboration with parents and caregivers. Educators have the benefit of helping to shape the future, but the reality is we could not accomplish all that needs to done without a partnership with parents and caregivers. As such, a special thank you to parents and caregivers for helping to make a potentially once in a lifetime global pandemic the best it can be for their children.
Directly below are additional details about the school district and planning for the immediate and short term future based upon recent Ohio Statements and an Amended Order. Also, watch for my next update and a potential special board of education meeting; perhaps as early as next week. In advance of an official announcement, I expect to be able to share some news that we will be a much welcomed positive aspect for the school district that literally will be transformative.
Additional Statement and Amended Order
The preceding Statement and Order provide information that Ohio school buildings are to remain closed through at least June 30, 2020, including any academic camps and summer youth sports and conditioning. Additionally, restrictions are imposed upon traditional in-person graduation ceremonies; however, we do have some limited graduation ceremony options. Accordingly, on April 30, Mrs. Warren, LHHS principal, released a survey to our Seniors and their families to solicit input into this very important decision.
Last Day of School. Our last day of school is scheduled for Friday, May 22, with final exams previously scheduled during the last week. However, we are working with the teaching staff to try and meet the prescribed learning objectives by Friday, May 15. In order to achieve this timeline, we need support from students and their families to complete and submit all required assignments.
If we can meet the learning objectives, we will stop virtual instruction on May 15; however, teachers and staff will be available through Friday, May 22. Watch for additional information in a future update that includes a schedule to allow families to collect personal belongings and student medication, as well as, return district textbooks or library books, turn-in loaned technology devices and submit any outstanding assignments no later than May 22.
Student Meals. As outlined above, we have served more than 14,000 supplemental meals during this closure through an outstanding effort by our food service department and community volunteers. Meals will continue to be available through May 22. Additionally, the district is exploring options to determine if we can achieve funding to provide student meals into the summer months. Presently, there is a potential to provide student meals until at least June 30. We will continue to provide updates once more information is available from the state.