COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus City Schools revealed its plan on how it's going to bring students and teachers back for the 2021-2022 school year.
The plan reveal comes after CCS brought students back into a blended learning model this spring.
After a year of either learning 100% from home or blended learning, CCS says students will be in-person five days a week this fall.
To safely welcome students back, everyone will have to follow COVID-19 health and safety guidelines.
The district says students and staff will have to wear masks and sneeze guards will be put in place for the desks of students and teachers.
Students must wear masks while on school buses. The staff will disinfect the buses according to its existing plan. CCS will use pre-COVID routing and seating arrangements.
For parents who still want their children to learn remotely, the district unveiled “BlendED.” Currently, the district has its Digital Academy. The district is adjusting to BlendED and basing the program on a variety of feedback. Parents said they want more flexibility and availability with teachers.
“They want the flexibility to do all these things, to meet the needs of the parents, of the students and all those things and those are details that we have to work out,” said John Coneglio, President, Columbus Education Association, CEA.
When it comes to fall sports, CCS says coaches will work with the school athletic director and principal to plan summer activities in preparation for the upcoming season. Coaches must follow all protocols that are currently in place.
CCS says it plans to have a full season of fall sports.
All non-sport extracurricular activities will resume, but will follow health and safety protocols.
CEA says they were shown very little of the district's fall plan before Wednesday night.
“Teachers do the job every single day…it's best always to work collaboratively to make sure that we produce a product that we both, that both sides agree with and that we can roll out to the public together,” said Coneglio.
The district said Wednesday night the plan is flexible upon further negotiations. The district also said more meetings are planned.
To read the district's plan, click here.