Dear Deer Park Families -
Thank you for your patience as we continue to refine our "Reopening of Schools" plan for this fall. We realize that this has been a stressful time for many of our families with so many unknowns and we truly appreciate your flexibility and understanding as we navigate this process. There are several updates that we want to pass along to you today.
- As of this past Tuesday, Governor DeWine has now made wearing a mask at school a REQUIREMENT. The official order has still not been released by the Ohio Department of Health, but every indication is that the order will require all students, grades K-12, to wear a mask at all times throughout the school day.
- Our current plan consists of a hybrid model for the first two weeks of school (beginning Monday, August 24th) with an "A" group attending on Monday and Tuesday and a "B" group attending on Thursday and Friday. Students will not have school on Wednesdays for the first two weeks.
- The "A" Group will consist of students with the last names Abney - Langdon. These students will attend school on 8/24, 8/25, 8/31, and 9/1.
- The "B" Group will consist of students with the last names Lange - Young. These students will attend school on 8/27, 8/28, 9/3, and 9/4.
- At the Board of Education Meeting this past Tuesday, we had a lot of discussion about our current plan and the inability to create a classroom environment that would allow us to safely social distance our students. With the current plan, all students are slated to return on Tuesday, September 8th. Having all students in the building at the same time will make social distancing with 6' of space between students in the classroom impractical. Because of this, we are heavily weighing the option of extending our hybrid model beyond the first two weeks of school. The Board of Education is holding a special meeting on Monday, August 10th at 4:30pm to continue the discussion and ultimately approve our plan to begin the 2020/2021 school year. Meetings can be viewed live online HERE. As a parent, please begin thinking about how this will impact your family and what accommodations you will have to make for childcare IF the district transitions to a hybrid model for an extended period of time.
- School Supplies: We have had many questions about school supplies and we understand that school supplies can be a financial burden on families, especially during this difficult economic time. If you have already purchased your school supplies, you should be in good shape and set for the year. If you haven't purchased those yet for whatever reason, you can wait until class lists are out and then contact your child's teacher to determine what supplies are absolutely essential for your child to successfully begin the school year.
If the district decides to move in a different direction, we will communicate the details to all of our families immediately. We know that time is of the essence and we want to give you as much time to prepare as we possibly can.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact your child's school office and we will do our best to answer all of your questions as quickly as possible.
Thank you,
Deer Park Schools