|
|
David Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
Cleveland.com
Ohio plan envisions masks for students and teachers, at-home temperature checks when schools reopen
May 13, 2020
By Andrew J. Tobias
COLUMBUS, Ohio — A draft state plan offering guidelines on how Ohio
schools can safely reopen this fall envisions daily at-home temperature
checks, hand-sanitizing stations, and required face masks for students
and teachers, among other safety measures.
Desks would be spaced at least six feet apart, high-touch surfaces like
door handles and hand-rails would be sanitized regularly and visitors
would be limited or prohibited under the plan, which state officials
may change as the months go on.
As written, most the plan is framed as a starting point for school
districts, leaving educational and logistical decisions up to local
decision makers. However, the extensive safety recommendations in the
report to prevent coronavirus outbreaks are framed more as
requirements, and not suggestions.
The plan was written by Ohio Department of Education staff with input
from teachers and administrators, policy advocates and community
groups, and the state health department and governor’s office.
Cleveland.com obtained a copy on Wednesday via a public-records request.
It’s only a draft, state officials said, and could change as time goes
on. It’s not even a sure thing schools will re-open in the fall,
although Gov. Mike DeWine has said that’s the goal.
Mandy Minick, a spokeswoman for the Ohio Department of Education, said
the plan is the work product of a “broad network of representatives
from the health and education communities working to consider ways
schools might move forward in the fall.”
“Certainly, the group will continue to work together over the
coming months and consider relevant new information as it becomes
available,” she said.
Unlike the current statewide closures, the plan lays out how schools
might shutter an individual school in response to an outbreak. This is
in line with DeWine’s current approach, which is transitioning toward
attempting to manage the virus while resuming a semblance of normalcy.
“As Ohio develops the capabilities to safely diagnose, treat, and
isolate COVID-19 cases and their contacts, we will enter the recovery
phase of the pandemic and begin to resume some activities, including
schools, with a phased-in approach over time,” the plan reads. “This
will lead to some new COVID-19 infections, which is to be expected. The
goal is to keep the number of COVID-19 cases below the hospital/health
system’s capacity to handle them.”
Staff exposed to someone with COVID-19 would be required to
self-quarantine at home for 14 days, as would anyone who returns from
an out-of-of-state trip. Someone with a confirmed or presumed COVID-19
diagnoses would have to wait 72 hours after symptoms have resolved,
plus test negative for the disease twice before returning to school.
Schools with outbreaks — as deemed by local or state health officials —
would observe more strict measures. This would include closing
playgrounds, limiting groups to 10 or under, and requiring on-site
temperature checks. Kids could be sent home for online classes.
The report also outlines suggestions for local school boards to
consider, like reducing classroom sizes by scheduling different groups
of students to come to school buildings only on certain days. Teachers,
not students, might consider switching classrooms during period changes.
Cafeterias could be closed favor of eating at desks. Field trips could
be on hiatus. After evaluating where students are academically, local
school officials might consider having teachers “loop," or work with
the same students for more than one year, since they know the students
best and could better assess their progress. Some districts might
consider summer classes.
DeWine has said his administration’s goal is to allow students to
return to school in August. He’s previously shared the idea about
rotating students in cohorts, with students going to the classroom two
days a week and learning online for the other three.
“I think everyone would like to see schools back in session in August,”
DeWine said last week. “How could they exist in the world where the
coronavirus is still here? How could they get the social distancing?
It’s very difficult."
Scott DiMauro, president of the Ohio Education Association, the state’s
largest teacher’s union, said the plan likely will be completed
sometime next week.
He said his members have concerns for their health. While children are
not believed to at great risk for illness from COVID-19, they’re
believed to be able to transmit it to others. Many Ohio teachers are
older or have underlying health conditions that make them more likely
to become seriously ill.
Keeping teachers and students safe, while continuing to offer at-home
learning, will require greater resources, he said. On the other hand,
DeWine recently announced $300 million in state funding cuts to local
schools.
He said the situation poses challenges for school administrators and
teachers trying to figure out how to safely re-open schools.
“It’s coming at the worst possible time, because we actually need
more resources, not fewer resources, to address these equity issues and
make modifications to keep schools safe,” DiMauro said.
He also said schools as built aren’t designed to allow for students to
be spaced out. Reconfiguring them could take “radical changes,” which
also would require additional resources, he said.
“Where it gets complicated is it’s not a remote plan, it’s not a school
plan, it’s a half-way approach, where some kids are at school, some are
at home, and some teachers are at school, and some teachers are at
home,” he said. “That’s where you have to bargain.”
Dr. Scott Frank, a public health professor at Case Western Reserve
University and former medical director for the Shaker Heights Local
School District, said he likes the safety ideas in the plan.
That includes staggering classes to limit the number of students in the
hallway at any given time, and offering space for students with fevers
to wait in isolation until their parents can come pick them up.
Something Frank recommends is requiring each school to have a nurse who
can triage students with symptoms, test them for COVID-19 if needed and
then communicate with parents afterward. He said that’s the most cost
effective thing any district could do.
But any level of planning, he said, is likely to face challenges when
it confronts reality, especially when children are involved. He said he
can envision individual schools or school districts closing as they
deal with outbreaks.
“I think they’ve made a real effort to look at the complexity of the
issue,” he said. “Sometimes though, complexity simply overwhelms policy
efforts. And I think that’s likely to be the case for COVID this fall
in schools.”
Will Schwartz, a lobbyist for the Ohio School Board Association, said
in an email his organization and others continue to be involved with
developing the plan.
“We continue to share our members’ concerns on return-to-school with
ODE, and we continue to advocate for local control and flexibility as
districts enter this uncharted territory,” he said. “Our members are
ultimately seeking flexibility, as well as guidance that is permissive
and helpful to districts. Superintendent DeMaria and his staff have
been great and effective partners in working with stakeholders to
develop this draft plan.”
|
|
|
|
