1) Does Logan Elm plan to reopen on August 20,
2020 with all students attending school five days per week?
We understand the need for families to be able to plan
for the reopening of schools. Governor
DeWine, at his press conference on June 16, 2020, said he would announce
guidance for re-opening Ohio’s school in the near future. The District is
working on three options for starting the 20-21 school year on August 20, while
awaiting more guidance from the Ohio Department of Health, Pickaway County
Department of Health, and the Ohio Department of Education. The three plans include:
A. Traditional classrooms, with
increased safety measures
B. Blended Learning with students
attending two to three times a week, limiting the number of students in
attendance at any one time
C. Remote Learning with the curriculum
continuing online
2)
What were the results from the recent
parent survey?
Logan Elm recently asked parents to complete a brief
survey. Of the 448 families who
responded, 87% of parents preferred their children return to the classroom,
while 13% preferred an online learning only option.
3) What health assessments will be in
place? What will happen if a student
becomes ill while at school?
Using Student Wellness and Success funding from the State of
Ohio, Logan Elm added a nurse’s aide position in the Spring of 2020. The nurse’s aide will assist our School Nurse
in assessing students’ health. In
addition, our secretaries and other school personnel may assist in taking
students’ temperatures and assessing for illness. Students who become ill,
and/or exhibit symptoms at school will be isolated and a parent/guardian will
be contacted to take them home.
4) Will staff and students be required to wear
masks?
We do not know at this time if staff and students will be
required to wear masks while at school.
We are awaiting guidance from state and local health officials. We understand there are concerns with
students being asked to wear masks in our buildings without air-conditioning.
The District has discussed this matter with the health department and will work
in conjunction with them when plans can be finalized.
5) How will students practice social
distancing on the buses?
We are waiting on social distancing guidelines to be released
from state and local health departments.
At this time, we are anticipating the number of students per bus may be
reduced. In order to plan for reduced
numbers per bus route, our transportation office is calling all households to
inquire if students will be riding our buses in the fall. Once this data is collected and guidelines
are released, our staff will begin adjusting routes. Parents will be notified of any changes.
Logan Elm will also be enforcing the policy of “one stop”
only for bus riders this year. Students
will only be picked up at one location and dropped off at one location. Due to health and safety concerns, we can no
longer accommodate multiple pick up/drop off locations. In addition, we can no longer take “bus
notes” for students to go home with another student or be picked up/dropped off
at an alternate location.
6) Will school supplies be shared?
No, students will keep their own set of school supplies in a
container or plastic bag.
7) Will each student have their own
Chromebook? Will one-to-one devices be
utilized in all scenarios?
Yes, the Board of Education recently purchased an additional
500 Chromebooks. This will allow all
students in grades K-12 to be assigned a Chromebook. Students who change classes will take their
Chromebook with them from class to class and be able to take it home. In all
scenarios, students in grades K-12 will be provided a Chromebook. (ex: a
family with three students will have three, one for each student.)
8) If remote learning is necessary at
any point during the year, what will that look like? Will it be projects and suggested activities
similar to the spring?
If schools are closed for any length of time during the
2020-2021 school year, Logan Elm will immediately switch all students to online
learning. Students and teachers in
grades K-6 will utilize Florida Virtual for online lessons while students in
grades 7-12 will utilize courses developed by Logan Elm teachers using the
Google platform. We will be fully prepared to “make the switch” to continue
online with the curriculum, and work with families to problem solve any
challenges this brings.
9) If the district has to utilize a
blended learning model, with half of the students attending on “A” days and
half attending on “B” days, will the district keep children from the same
family/household on the same schedule?
In this scenario, our goal will be to keep students in grades
K-8 from the same family/household on the same attendance schedule. We are not sure if we will be able to
accommodate high school students in the same manner.
10) If there is a spike in one building,
will that one building go to remote learning, or will the entire district go to
remote learning?
If there is a spike in one building, we will make decisions
to keep as many students as possible in a traditional school setting. This may require one building to go to remote
learning while other buildings remain open.
11) Some student may have increased
anxiety or other behavioral health concerns.
How will the district help them?
Using Student Wellness and Success funds from the state,
Logan Elm hired a School Social Worker in the Spring. Jennifer Murphy was hired for this position
and began working prior to the school closure.
She will be able to meet with students and families in August, and
during the year. Her contact information
and a host of resources can be found at https://www.loganelm.org/SchoolSocialWorker.aspx
.
Also using Student Wellness and Success funds, Logan Elm has
hired an additional school counselor to serve our elementary students. This will increase the amount of time a
school counselor is available in our elementary and intermediate school
buildings, as well as allow for a full-time counselor at the middle school.
Logan Elm High School will have school counselors available every school day. Please
do not hesitate to reach out to one of these individuals, or a building
principal, if you are in need of assistance for your child.
12) Will parents be able to choose an
online only option?
Yes. For the 2020-2021
school year, Logan Elm students may enroll in an online only option provided by
the district.
13) Will students enrolled in all online
courses be able to participate in sports, music and extra-curricular
activities?
Yes. Students who
enroll in all online courses with Logan Elm will be eligible for sports, music
and extra-curricular activities.