CLEVELAND — The coronavirus pandemic has kept students outside of the classroom since mid-March.
Governor Mike DeWine said they won’t be going back inside classrooms the rest of this academic school year, but added that no decisions regarding the fall semester have been made yet.
The Ohio Department of Education has crafted a potential plan which would include temperature checks, facial coverings and social distancing. But the plan is still being worked on.
The department said parent feedback is necessary before moving forward.
ODE asked the Ohio PTA to collect that feedback through an online survey. The survey was comprised of three open-ended questions including:
1. What are your main questions?
2. Will you send your child to school if they reopen in the fall?
3. Will you send your child to school if masks are mandated?
The Ohio PTA said more than 14,000 people participated in the survey.
The results will be given to the ODE to help form a reopening plan.
Gov. DeWine said in an interview Sunday, he has told schools to assume students will return to the classroom in the fall. In the meantime, he's asking school leaders to form plans that are specific to their district.
“How do you do things in regard to when kids go to the cafeteria, when younger kids may go to a playground. All of those things. Trying to follow the best health guidance and come up with very specific plans that are unique to your school, that are guided by the local health departments and guided by health guidance," DeWine said.
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