Franklin County COVID-19 Level Increased to Purple


Today, you may have heard that Governor DeWine announced that Franklin County's COVID-19 alert level has moved to the "Purple" range on the state’s COVID-19 alert system.

As you’re aware, our Responsible Restart 2020 Parent Guide (issued in August of 2020) indicated that the District would implement a 100% remote online learning model if Franklin County moved to the “Purple Level” on the State of Ohio COVID Alert System. To that point, I think it's vital that we all recognize that decision was made when none of us had any idea that vaccine availability to most adults was only months away.

In a January 2021 survey, more than 80% of our staff indicated they planned to be vaccinated during the initial vaccine administration, which occurred in late January and early February. I know many indeed were vaccinated – and that many more staff members have been vaccinated since the initial administration.

With what we know today, the large percentage of our staff that have been vaccinated, and the ever-increasing availability of the vaccine to teens, We have decided that we will remain in an in-person learning environment. We will continue with our plans to move to a five-day-per-week schedule beginning May 3 - and we will stay on this schedule unless directed to do otherwise by the Governor or the Franklin County Health Department.

Students taking classes through Cruiser Digital Academy will remain in a 100% remote learning model through the remainder of the school year – as has been the expectation since the school year began.

After the year our students (and the rest of us) have had, I believe that providing consistency to our students and families, and supporting students' academic and social-emotional needs is crucial to their success as learners and their overall well-being.

We have a shared responsibility to keep ourselves and others safe from COVID-19. The OSU CATS (COVID Analytics and Targeted Surveillance) System provides community-level data by school attendance zones. The data indicates the primary spread of COVID in our area is not coming from our schools but rather from the community. Knowing that, if you can be vaccinated, please do so at your earliest opportunity. Follow the guidelines outlined by health officials, monitor your family for any COVID warning signs, and quarantine as necessary.

Please know that we are monitoring conditions within the school district very closely. Be assured; we will continue to do our part by being vigilant in enforcing the use of masks, social distancing, and rigorously cleaning and disinfecting our schools and offices.

We will keep you informed of any changes that may impact our current plans or any other new developments. Should you have questions, please contact our Communications Office at 614-492-2520 or email at [email protected].

As always, thank you for your continued support and encouragement. This has undoubtedly been a challenging year, but as a result of us all being flexible, patient, and working together, we're nearing the finish line on the 2020-2021 school year.


← BACK
Print This Article
View text-based website