Orange Schools: July 15, 2020 Update
I hope you are doing well and staying safe as we continue to address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on how we provide education to our children. As you are well aware, COVID-19 has impacted every facet of our lives, and schooling is no exception. However, we are up for the challenge, and we will continue to serve our kids.
 
This past Monday night, the back-to-school plan overview ( PDF , Video ) was shared with the Board of Education. In addition to the presentation linked above, this letter contains some important information and dates pertaining to the start of the 2020-2021 school year as we plan to bring our kids back. Returning students to in-person classes comes with health & safety and logistical needs, but we can do this! There are many details still being addressed, so there will be several updates with additional details in the days ahead . 

After studying various scenarios, collecting input from our stakeholder groups, and giving every aspect of state guidance our due diligence, we developed the following plan:

Students will be back to school 5 days a week, but to do so while maintaining 6 feet of physical distance between students in the classrooms, we will have students attend in half-day cohorts. Therefore, half of the students will be scheduled into an AM cohort while the other half is scheduled into a PM cohort. Specific times for these AM/PM sessions are still being developed as we work on coordinating instruction and logistics such as sanitizing and transportation.  

Students in these cohorts will receive daily face-to-face instruction for part of the day, and they will have remote responsibilities as well, creating a blended learning model. 

A remote learning option is for those not comfortable sending their children back to school due to health and safety or other reasons. Instructional pacing will be on track with the blended learning option students as much as possible.  Remote learning will be provided by Orange teachers, not an online virtual academy or online school. Details about the delivery of full remote learning will be provided in the near future as staffing and other logistics are solidified.

After more details about cohort times and remote learning are available, a registration form will be sent home so families can choose from the two options for each of their children, including whether or not you can assist by transporting your children versus busing. After selecting an option, families are asked to commit for the entire first semester with the option to continue or switch options for the second semester, allowing us to better plan and allocate staff. Also, please stay tuned for information forthcoming from Orange Community Education and Recreation related to a potential expansion of Open Door and before and after school opportunities.

Please note that the impact of COVID-19 or a State order could force all students back into a complete remote learning environment at any time . If you have not already done so, please take a look at the presentation I shared with the Board for more information. Finally, looking ahead to transitioning back to school, the 2020-2021 school calendar will be modified as follows:

Faculty and Staff ONLY: August 17-26
Faculty and staff will start the new school year with several days of professional development and training to become acclimated to the building changes and mandated safety protocols as they prepare for kids to grace the halls.

Students Soft Start: August 27-28
On August 27 & 28, students will return to a virtual soft start, logging in and interacting with virtual tours, meeting teachers and reviewing new protocols and expectations. Then, the week of 8/31 will mark the return to campus. Several updates and important information will be coming to you from the District and building principals, so please stay tuned .

I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am to be part of Team Orange. I know this situation is far from ideal, and we have many challenges ahead. I empathize with our families as we strive to stay safe while we educate our children. However, together, we can overcome these challenges. Thank you again for your patience and support.

-- Lynn Campbell, Superintendent
State Guidelines
Governor Mike DeWine has recently given the directive for students to return to school this fall but is allowing local schools to determine how that will be administered. Earlier this month, the Governor issued guidelines for the reopening of schools to all Ohio school districts. The guidelines were crafted with input from the Department of Health, The Center for Disease Control, American Academy of Pediatrics, parents, educators, professional education organizations and the Ohio Department of Education. These guidelines are best practice mandates and must be followed. See the links below for more details about the reopening mandates and guidelines.