Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect Washington Local Schools District guidance late Tuesday from the Governor's office.
Local school districts are rolling out extensive plans to educate students online after Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday extended a statewide mandated school closure to May 1.
While some districts are taking this time to completely reinvigorate their approach to remote learning, others are assessing ways to go beyond educational resources. For Washington Local Schools, for instance, the main concern is ensuring that the district’s meal distribution can continue as planned — something proving to be more difficult as time goes on.
A shortage of masks, for example, had Washington Local schools prepared to adjust its meal distribution plan, Superintendent Kadee Anstadt said Tuesday.
“We ran out of masks today, and until we find more we cannot prepare and distribute meals,” she said Tuesday. “Obviously the medical field needs them badly too. We’re required by the governor to wear them and right now we don’t have them.”
Fortunately, a late-arriving directive Gov. Mike DeWine’s permitted the usage of homemade masks and bandanas. Ms. Anstadt said she is asking all employees and volunteers to show up with resources to cover their faces as they continued to distribute meals to families.
Ms. Anstadt said the district is responsible for feeding 3,000 families during this time, and continuing to distribute meals is among the district’s top priorities.
“You hate to ask in a time when people are making masks for those in the medical field, it’s a bad place to be, but we’re also feeding 3,000 families,” she said Tuesday.
As for the district’s plans for remote learning, Ms. Anstadt said that students in grades three through 12 will continue to receive digital instruction during the extended school-build closure, while kindergarten through second grade will continue to receive learning packets via mail.
Toledo Public Schools officials said the area’s largest district will continue to distribute meals and learning packets throughout the mandated closure. Executive Transformational Leader of Curriculum James Gault said TPS has a new schedule for families to pick up learning packets.
“We have developed a schedule for parents to be able to pick up learning packets in a drive-thru style. We’re asking, if at all possible, that parents can drive up. If they have to walk we’ll still service them, but we know that social distancing works best when in a car,” he said.
All coursework will be available on the district’s website for families that have access to both an internet and printer. Pick up for packets will be Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at designated locations.
As for meal distribution, Mr. Gault said the district will continue serving families Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at each high school.
Mr. Gault said the district is working on ways to improve access to wifi and technology devices. He said the district is finalizing partnerships with service providers.
Ottawa Hills Local Schools will utilize a digital class schedule, Mondays through Thursdays, using a video conferencing app to keep students in learning routine, with the new plan in place April 8.
“This plan will include all core studies and allow students to interact with teachers,” Superintendent Adam Fineske said.
First Published March 31, 2020, 9:34 p.m.
