CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Ohio Education Association, which represents 122,000 teachers, faculty members and support professionals in K-12 and higher education, is asking the state to require remote learning in counties designated as “purple” or “red” in the state’s coronavirus alert system.
Those two levels are the highest alerts in the system. As of Thursday, 23 counties, including Cuyahoga, were red. Allen County, which includes Lima, was marked as red with an alert. Some school districts, including Cleveland, Akron and Columbus, have already decided to move to a fully remote start to classes.
Miami University announced on Tuesday students would begin classes online.
A poll of OEA members in mid-July found that 69 percent of education professionals statewide do not believe that schools and campuses will be able to reopen safely in the fall, according to a press release.
The position statement issued by the OEA’s board of directors included that schools at lower “orange” and “yellow” levels should only be reopened if districts met CDC guidelines, until a vaccine is developed or a cure found. The statement also outlined a list of measures that the association recommends as state requirements.
“We recognize students need their schools, communities need their schools. We all want to be back together,” OEA President Scott DiMauro said. “Safety is the foundational building block. You can’t get to other aspects of learning if you don’t have safety first.”
The state has issued guidelines for K-12 school re-openings, but the guidance was “flexible” to allow for individual school districts to adjust for each community. One of the only requirements in K-12 guidance was that teachers wear masks or face coverings, but districts were allowed to develop mask policies for students.
The recommendations for requirements are, as written in the position statement:
-- mandatory mask or face coverings for students, staff and visitors
-- strict adherence to six-foot physical distancing between individuals
-- stringent hand washing and sanitizing protocols
-- daily health checks for students and staff
-- strict protocols for quarantining and isolating those who are presumed positive for COVID-19 and anyone who has been exposed to the virus
The position statement also calls for funding from state and federal sources for costs associated with reopening, including for acquiring personal protective equipment and for technology and high-speed internet access.
Read the full list in the document viewer at the bottom of this post.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, when asked about schools reopening at a coronavirus briefing on Tuesday, said at this point there’s not a clear answer on whether schools should open or not. Though the state may offer more guidance on Thursday, DeWine said it was intentionally left to the districts to make these tough decisions to best suit the community.
But, if the state gets to the point where there’s a “clear answer” on this question, then DeWine said the state could take further action.
“If I see kids in danger in this state and I know they’re in danger, we will take action,” he said.
The Link LonkJuly 29, 2020 at 03:23AM
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2020/07/ohio-education-association-calls-for-fully-remote-learning-in-red-or-purple-counties-on-coronavirus-map.html
Ohio Education Association calls for fully remote learning in ‘red’ or ‘purple’ counties on coronavirus map - cleveland.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=Red&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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