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Districts cope with COVID while educating students

T-L Photo/JOE LOVELL Restricted attendance at sporting events is proving frustrating for local school officials and families alike as classes resume during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, Harrison Central fans, consisting mainly of players’ immediate family members, practice social distancing while watching a game against Martins Ferry on Friday.

MARTINS FERRY­– Local school superintendents say their districts are coping as best they can with the coronavirus pandemic while also trying to educate all of their students.

The students are wearing masks, staying apart as much as possible and turning in their classwork on time whether it be from home or the classroom, they say.

Last week schools in two local districts — Shadyside and Beallsville — each reported they had a case of the virus. Officials say they are following the necessary protocols to mitigate any potential spread with help from the Belmont and Monroe county health departments.

Shadyside Local Schools Superintendent John Haswell said his district had one case of the virus last week. Since the start of the school year, the district has been working to social distance its students, have students and staff wear masks and follow health department protocols.

“We’re working with the health department on contact tracing,” he said.

The case was a Leona Middle School student, and 18 people who were close contacts have been quarantined.

In the Switzerland of Ohio School District, one student tested positive last week for COVID. Because of this Beallsville elementary and high schools in Monroe County closed and are now teaching students online.

Meanwhile, other districts across the Ohio Valley are trying to educate their students while also working to avoid any potential spread of the virus. Superintendents say their schools are following health guidelines while trying to resume a normal school year education-wise.

Bridgeport Exempted Village School District Superintendent Brent Ripley said attendance is good at his schools. The parents and staff have been using a cell phone app to report temperatures and possible symptoms each day before entering school, he said.

The students, meanwhile, are working hard.

“The common theme that I am hearing from teachers is that the students are truly happy to be back in school. They are turning in work on time and realize that this time that we have together is priceless,” he said.

He noted students did have the option to learn online, but parents were informed that the online learning environment would not be the same as attending class in-person.

“The principals then informed all parents and guardians that the online learning is tedious and that the support in the online environment is certainly not the same in-person dynamic that students experience in-seat in Bridgeport Schools. We do have a small percentage that choose this learning option. Our faculty does a tremendous job for students and this takes the complete efforts of us all as a team to serve our students to the best of our ability. Regarding the students that are taking part in the online option, each parent has an online advocate to assist,” he said.

Regarding social distancing, Ripley said students are reminded daily to do so.

“The students are spaced during lunch. We have also set up different zones for recess and we rotate them by their classes. The students, aides and teachers are all functioning as a team to make sure we do everything we can to continue our time together here at Bridgeport,” he said.

As of Sept. 22, Ripley said his district had not had any COVID positive students or staff. If a student comes to school with a cough or sniffles they are referred to the nurse for evaluation.

“Any student or faculty member that needs to go home is supervised in a room and we make contact with the parent for them to pick up their child. We also provide resources to the family on where they may obtain testing. Proactively, we used wellness funding to employ a second nurse,” he said.

Ripley said he hopes to have the after-school learning center open soon.

“Our goal is to continue our year as close to normal as possible for the students. We are taking the proper safety protocols to continue to offer our students as much as we possibly can. For example, our 9-11 assembly was held virtually this year. It was done creatively and in a manner that was respectful of time and the sensitivity of the day. We will also be holding our spelling bee in the distant future. Creatively, safely and in the best interest of students, we will offer as much as we feel that we can do so safely,” he said.

Ripley noted he was pleasantly surprised by how well the students did on benchmark assessments regarding reading levels. Many, he said, maintained or improved their levels.

“This is a testament of the job that our faculty, parents and students did during the entire 2019-20 school year,” he said.

Despite having to deal with a pandemic and related protocols, Ripley believes it will be Bridgeport’s “best year ever.”

“Our approach to teaching and learning this year has been planned for by our administration team and our district leadership team. Regardless of whether we are in school or at home, our approach was to keep teaching and learning consistent,” he said. “We also provided our faculty with an extra week of professional development at the beginning of the school year to prepare for a transition of students here at school or at home learning. Parents and guardians, please know that we are so thankful to have your children back with us. They are doing an amazing job of being respectful of one another.”

Bellaire Local School District Superintendent Darren Jenkins said despite the pandemic, the school year, in general, has had a great start for his district.

“I believe both students and teachers/staff alike are glad to be back and are working hard to mitigate risk on a daily basis. In-person attendance for both students and staff has been relatively good. Because the ‘newness’ of being back hasn’t worn off, many have not slipped back into their old habits. Additionally, some of those students who have had attendance issues in the past selected the remote learning option,” Jenkins said.

Regarding online learning for students studying at home there have been some issues, he said.

“We have partnered with the Educational Service Center because of technical delays. Implementation has been problematic. Getting the necessary equipment has also been an issue. Computers from China have been quarantined. We are competing nationwide for hardware and software. We’re having trouble getting things which were ordered in April,” Jenkins said.

Regarding the virus itself, Jenkins said, to date, none of his district’s staff or students have tested positive for COVID-19.

“Our nurse gives me weekly reports on the health status of our students. We have had some of the normal ‘bugs’ attack our kids, intestinal issues, etc., but no COVID. Our nurses have been following the protocol supplied by the Belmont County Health Department, which indicates that just because someone has a fever of 100.4+ doesn’t mean that an individual’s condition rises to the level of COVID,” he said.

Jenkins noted one aspect of the year so far that has pleasantly surprised him is the “level of commitment by our students and staff to wearing masks.”

The most frustrating aspect, he noted, has been dealing with the limitations placed on attendance at athletic events. Currently only immediate family members can attend sporting events because of the virus.

“Our Athletic Department has done a great job of following student wellness guidelines and everyone in Belmont County does a great job of working together. However, even though all schools get the same guidance from the OHSAA, the Governor’s Office and the Ohio Department of Health, these guidelines are not interpreted the same way county to county and school to school,” Jenkins said. “Although we were not able to have what most would consider a normal ‘homecoming’ we were able to have one and will have senior recognition activities for all of our sports.”

Jenkins said students clubs, including the band, are being permitted to meet. The students must wear masks during the get-togethers, he said.

Regarding online learning, Jenkins said some students who initially opted for online learning are starting to return to the school for in-person instruction.

“I would like everyone to know that I have been so impressed by the spirit of cooperation among everyone. Our kids and staff are doing what is being asked of them regarding safety. Our kids and staff are glad to be back. As an example we try to social distance at lunch time by using the park to allow kids to spread out during lunch at the high school. Our students have been respectful of their new freedom. They have kept the park in good order and the village has been supportive and cooperative, as an example good people doing good things for kids,” he said.

Union Local Schools Superintendent Ben Porter said attendance for staff and students has been “consistent” to date this school year. He noted UL opened up at 25 percent capacity and expanded to 50 percent on Sept. 22.

“Students are working hard to complete their assignments. The percentage of student engagement has been very good to start the school year,” he said.

“A significant challenge to remote learning is time for teacher preparation. Preparation time increases significantly for remote teaching,” he said, adding making a connection to the students also is a challenge. “This is a connection that is typically established with classroom interaction, thus more emphasis to establish this must be made when approaching students through the online platform.”

Regarding social distancing in school, Porter said there have been no problems doing so “due to our limited capacity.”

“This will become more of a challenge as we expand the number of students who are attending daily,” he said. “Our families have done an excellent job self assessing students at home. To this point in time Union Local has not experienced this problem. We appreciate the family support and monitoring.”

He noted, to date, there have been no students or teachers diagnosed with COVID-19.

When it comes to extracurricular activities, Porter said the district is trying to treat all fairly.

“Obviously, attendance at events and large group gatherings need to be monitored and held at a limited capacity. Athletics for example, at 15 percent stadium seating capacity. We are trying to hold true to this for all extracurricular events,” he said.

Overall, Porter believes his students and teachers are doing well despite the pandemic.

“We have experienced a very good start to the year, albeit at a limited capacity. Our students and staff have adjusted well to new situations. Our staff has worked hard to prepare themselves in anticipation of situations that may occur, however, our focus has been doing the best we can each day we are on campus,” he said.

“To say we thought of every scenario we can’t, however, we put a substantial time into our planning and getting feedback from various groups. To this point in time we have been required to make some small changes to our plan, however, there have not been any significant surprises to this point.”

Porter said he wanted to thank the community and families for their support.

“We understand the desire for students to be in school, and we are carefully monitoring our operations and procedures that will lead to us returning at 100 percent capacity. We continue to view this as an opportunity to make educational transformations that will benefit students beyond the current pandemic,” he said.

Barnesville Schools Superintendent Angela Hannahs said her district has seen a normal amount of absences for this time of year.

“However, we are being cautious. If a student presents symptoms that align with COVID-19 symptoms, then we are quarantining the student and asking for a doctor’s note to return or a negative COVID test,” she said, adding no students or teachers have tested positive for the virus, to date.

She noted teachers are working hard to keep students socially distanced as much as possible. And parents, she said, have been educated on when to keep their children home from school if they are showing symptoms of illness.

Regarding educating children online and in class, Hannahs said students are completing their assignments.

“We have people checking this frequently and making the necessary communication if a student falls behind,” she said. “Nothing compares to in-person instruction. Online instruction is self-paced and self-motivated.”

Extracurricular activities are evaluated on a case by case basis to determine if it can be held safely. Overall, the school year has gone well, she said.

“Our staff has been preparing since last March, so all the planning has allowed us to open and remain open,” she said. “Barnesville is fortunate to be open to in-person instruction. We are doing all we can to make sure we comply with social distancing, wearing masks, and keeping the buildings clean and sanitized. We are asking parents for their cooperation to ensure we stay open as long as possible.”

St. Clairsville Schools Superintendent Walt Skaggs said his district’s attendance rate has been fine and not much different compared to past school years for this time of year.

The biggest challenge to date is getting the technology needed to educate students outside the classroom.

“So far, we’re learning as we go and adjusting. We’re making sure all students have equal access. The challenge is making sure we have wifi access and internet access for students. We have purchased hot spots for several families to use,” he said.

A hot spot, he said, is a device that is placed in one’s house that uses cellular signals to give one access to the internet. This allows the student to get their assignments online without having to leave home. While the districts waits for hot spot devices to come in, they already have several drive-up internet access points available for students to use.

Skaggs said he has been pleasantly surprised with how well the students and staff have adapted to wearing masks every day. He noted every attempt to social distance students is made. Students are checked daily for symptoms before entering the school. If they do have symptoms they see the school nurse and are sent home.

To date, some staff and students have been tested for the virus but none were positive.

“We’re taking every precaution we can. We appreciate the support and patience of parents. Without them none of this would be possible,” he said.

Martins Ferry City Schools Superintendent Jim Fogle said staff and student attendance in his district has been “excellent” to date.

“I believe they both were ready to get back to school,” he said. “Our students have been working diligently to complete their assignments. Their completion rate has been very normal.”

Overall, Fogle said the students have adjusted well despite the pandemic and the new, required behaviors related to it.

“Everyone is wearing their masks and following the procedures in place. With some of our students opting for online instruction, this has enabled us to social distance within the buildings. Lunch has been expanded to other areas which has given us plenty of space. At recess we obviously have enough room to keep socially distant,” he said.

Fogle noted he is proud of how his students have adapted.

“They are resilient and have done all that we asked of them. Our staff has been extremely cooperative and worked very hard to implement the plan,” he said.

Regarding the health of students, few have been sent home with symptoms.

“But every student is subject to a health assessment including a temperature check each morning by staff members. The screenings have been vital to our operation. If someone exhibits symptoms they are immediately isolated in the quarantine room for further assessment by our school nurses. If it is deemed necessary students are sent home,” he said.

Regarding students learning online, one challenge is “making a personal connection,” he said.

“Teaching relies on building rapport with the students, but the teachers are using different activities, writings, etc. to get to know their students from a distance. The teachers and students have shown their resiliency, and the students are learning skills that will last a lifetime – problem solving, communicating with others, technology, literature, etc.,” he said.

To date, some students and staff have been tested for the virus and none were positive.

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