COLUMBUS – A rise in cases of COVID-19 has officials in Ohio’s largest school district rethinking their plan for reopening for the new school year.
In a message to the staff posted on the district’s Facebook page Friday, Columbus City Schools superintendent Dr. Talisa Dixon, said, if the increase does not reverse itself, the district is giving serious consideration to keeping buildings closed this fall and requiring remote learning for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
Dixon wrote that the district’s Reopening Task Force remains in contact with local health officials and finds the rising number of cases in Columbus and Franklin County “sobering.”
She says the health experts recommend that four consecutive weeks of declining numbers would be necessary in order for schools to reopen safely.
“Even with implementing social distancing on school buses and in the classroom, it is still a challenge to bring students and employees back safely if the rate of infection does not begin to trend and sustain downward,” Dixon wrote.
We will continue our close communications with Columbus Public Health for updates on the spread of the virus within our District boundaries. As we monitor the data and seek guidance, we will need to give serious consideration to beginning the school year with a fully remote learning model for grades K-12. -Dr. Talisa Dixon, Superintendent and CEO, Columbus City Schools.
The task force on June 30 recommended that students in grades K-8 attend school in person two days a week and learn online three days a week. Remote learning would go on for high schoolers during the first semester of the year.