Something many expected became official on Monday. Governor Mike DeWine announced schools will remain closed through the end of the school year due to the coronavirus. Students will continue to use distanced learning and use online resources.
"We’re going to allow a great deal of flexibility, as we should, for the local schools because, what they find in their district and how their district looks, is very different," said Mike DeWine
"But we’ve been planning for it. So we’re going to continue to work as we’ve worked with our kids online, doing their schooling. I have a plan for the month of May in terms of staff," said Jill Ackerman, Lima City Schools superintendent.
DeWine says he made the decision for a few reasons. The virus remains a threat, he wants to keep continuity going for students with such little time left in the school year, and it becomes a community risk having students gather, then return home possibly carrying the virus.
Lima City Schools are still trying to help those with limited internet access. They are working to expand the schools' WiFi to be used in their parking lots. They also distributed 500 devices to families with the internet but no computers.
Ackerman says she is now working to find a way to have seniors put on their caps and gowns since their last year ended abruptly.
"What I’ve been hanging on to is being able to have some sort of ceremony inside the stadium with those kids. Now there are probably over 200 kids that will graduate, but the stadium is large enough, that I believe, we can do something with social distancing with those kids in there. And it may not be able to be in the month of May. It may have to be in the month of June or early July, said Jill Ackerman.
Ackerman says they will have to plan for a way to have students drop off textbooks and clean out lockers during the last week of school around May 22nd.
No decisions have been made about schools starting again in the fall. A proposed idea would be to have some sort of way where students were learning part-time in the classroom and part-time online.
