Deer Park Families:
On April 20, 2020, Governor Mike DeWine ordered that all of Ohio’s public, community, and private K-12 school buildings remain closed to students for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic school year due to the COVID-19 health crisis.
We know the Governor’s order to close school for the rest of the school year presents a challenge to our families. Our district is working diligently to partner with you in furthering your child’s education and well-being.
Remote Learning to Continue
Although our school buildings are to remain closed, remote learning will continue through the remainder of the school year. We will continue to adjust and administer our virtual learning plans and expectations, provide student services and resources to the best of our ability, and distribute free meals to our students.
Staff Availability
Our school district staff will continue to provide meals, support, and remote learning options to our students for the rest of the school year. During scheduled school days, our teachers will be available via "virtual office hours" from 9-10 a.m. and 1-2 p.m. to support our parents and students. Teachers and building principals will be sharing their remote learning plans and expectations with parents and students on an ongoing basis.
Administrators and support staff will also be working remotely and available between the hours of 8 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays via email and voicemail.
Board of Education Office Hours
Although some essential staff will be reporting, the Deer Park Board of Education office is closed to the public until further notice. The central office staff are still available to assist parents via phone or email. Leave a voicemail at 513-891-0222 and your call will be returned within 24 hours. Staff will be checking and responding to their email daily.
Meal Distribution
Food service operations are ongoing despite the building closure and will remain in place throughout the remainder of the school year. Staff will continue to comply with the most current health guidelines when distributing meals.
For more information on our district’s meal distribution program, click HERE.
After the school year ends, the district will continue to provide free meals through our summer meal program. The distribution of these meals is dependent on the most current orders from the governor. We will keep our community updated on our food delivery model as we move forward.
Mental Health Support
Our professionals are reaching out to families to ensure they have open lines of communication during the closure, and to make alternative plans if necessary. Our counselors will be monitoring emails and reaching out to our school families in need. Please reach out to your school counselor via email or voicemail if your child is in need.
The Ohio Health Department has created a website including resources to help families dealing with the stress and mental toll of the COVID-19 outbreak. You can find that website HERE.
Kindergarten Registration for 2020-2021
All registration for kindergarten will take place online until further notice. Please check our website HERE for details and deadlines.
If you have any questions about kindergarten registration, please call or email Betty Hollander at 513-891-0222 / hollander.b@dpccsd.org or Diane Daily at 513-936-6275 / daily.d@dpccsd.org.
Board Meetings
Boards of education are required by law to meet at least once every two months. Although school boards typically meet more regularly than this, school boards may legally cancel school board meetings and reduce the number of school board meetings to the statutory minimum.
Our Board of Education plans to meet virtually and will hold its next meeting tomorrow, April 21, 2020 at 4 p.m.. The district will record this meeting and post the live video on our website HERE. Minutes from the meeting will also be posted online. Due to the nature of this meeting, there will not be a public participation section. If you have any questions for the Board of Education, please submit the form provided HERE.
School Facilities/Grounds Remain Closed
Per the Governor’s orders and OHSAA, all school, playgrounds, and athletic facilities are closed and use of our facilities by outside groups has also been suspended until further notice.
Scheduled Spring/Summer Events
All athletics (per OHSAA guidance), field trips, overnight trips, performances, award programs, and parent-teacher conferences have been canceled through the remainder of the school year. Our high school administrators are working on options to reschedule prom pending the directives on large group gatherings.
Graduation
The Governor and the Ohio General Assembly enacted House Bill 197 to address issues raised by the coronavirus pandemic. This legislation states that Ohio students who were on track to graduate at the time of the ordered school-building closure will be permitted to graduate on time in the Spring of 2020.
We recognize the importance and tradition of our high school graduation ceremony. Our current graduation date will be postponed. We are looking at alternate dates this summer that are dependent on the governor’s orders for large public gatherings. We are going to do everything in our power to ensure that our seniors will be able to celebrate and experience their graduation by walking across the stage in Crawford Auditorium.
Summer School
With the current building closure orders, the district will offer summer school classes virtually until further notice. Students who require summer school classes will be notified by the building principal. We are still discussing summer enrichment classes for our students and will communicate these plans with our parents in the upcoming weeks.
Summer Sports Camps/Programs
Under the current guidelines, no sport camps or summer programs will be hosted by the school district this summer. We will follow the latest directives when determining the status of summer conditioning programs for our student-athletes. Look for communication from our athletic director and coaches about summer conditioning.
Status of 2020-2021 School Year
No specific decisions have been made at this time on the status of our buildings being re-opened in August. The state continues to monitor the status of the COVID-19 outbreak and our ability to resume normal activities.
In his press briefings, Governor DeWine has made it clear that Ohio’s schools and businesses will not be operating in the same way until there is a vaccine available for COVID-19. Our district administrators have been planning and consulting with other education leaders and public health officials for alternatives to comply with the Governor’s most-current orders and maintain a healthy environment for staff and students.
For More Information
We have set up a dedicated page on our website for all the announcements, resources, and updates on COVID-19. Click HERE for more information.
We appreciate your support and know that we will continue to work together as a school community to navigate through these challenging times together.
Sincerely,
Jay Phillips
Superintendent