Parents asked to make selections via FinalForms by Sunday
Bellefontaine City Schools officials announced Wednesday their decision to return to full, in-person learning, five days a week, beginning Monday, Oct. 12, for all students in grades K-12.
District officials said in a release the decision has been reached after working very closely with personnel from the Logan County Health District. BCS has been given the approval for a return to full, in-person learning, five days a week by local health officials.
Last week, the district had released information to parents regarding a return to full in-person learning beginning Nov. 3 for grades kindergarten through eighth-grade. However, recent air quality test results at the school buildings have allowed the district to move that date up and allow for all students to return to full-time classes.
“The district has been working very closely with the Logan County Health Department officials since last spring. They have been incredible people to work with and we have been following the recommendations from that department,” Superintendent Brad Hall said. “We share the same goal of getting our students back in classrooms.
“The results of the CO2 readings that were taken this week were very good and are a major factor in the reason we can accelerate our return up to Oct. 12.”
This week, a representative from the Logan County Health District was in the district to get the CO2 (carbon dioxide) readings in classrooms. The readings are CO2 air circulation readings, which is an indicator of how often fresh air is being introduced into a given space.
Logan County Health Commissioner Dr. Hoddinott has said many times, “COVID-19 is a disease of indoor spaces with poor air exchange and no masks.”
The readings confirm that the district has healthy levels of CO2 in their current blended classrooms and can return fully to classrooms.
“CO2 levels have never been a concern in Bellefontaine classrooms. This testing was done to provide one more piece of information to get our students back in the classrooms,” the superintendent explained.
“Following Dr. Hoddinott’s recommendation, we want to make sure we are introducing enough fresh air into our classrooms to keep the CO2 levels within the normal and recommended range. The results prove that we are providing healthy air.”
Prior to returning to in-person learning, five days a week, beginning Oct. 12 for all students in grades K-12, families are offered the choice to:
• Remain remote;
• Remain in-person;
• Move from remote to in-person; or
• Move from in-person to remote.
Families are asked to make their selection via FinalForms by a deadline of 11 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4.
The district has been operating under a Blended Learning Model since school began on Sept. 8, Hall related. During that time half of the students have been in the classrooms on Tuesday/Thursday, while the other half have attended on Wednesday/Friday.
When students are not physically in the classrooms, they have been using Schoology for their lessons.
“We fully understand that parents and students are being challenged during this time, as are district staff members,” the superintendent said. “Our goal has always been to get our students back in the classrooms at the earliest possible time that is safe to do so and stay open.
“We look forward to having our students back in the classroom, and furthermore, we believe that while virtual learning has had its share of challenges, we have built a foundation that will serve us well into future. Should Bellefontaine City Schools have to endure future shutdowns at the classroom or building level, we are better positioned today to continue educating our students.
“I know it has been difficult and I deeply thank and appreciate our students, families and staff for their understanding, kindness and patience.”
Parents can also expect to receive updates specific to the building their child attends via FinalForms, and district website and Facebook pages.