Cloverleaf delays school year to work on reopening plan

WESTFIELD TWP. — Six feet of social distancing in classrooms, face-mask requirements in certain areas and a delayed start date were some aspects of fall reopening recommendations unanimously approved Wednesday night by the Cloverleaf school board. The plan was put together by a 53-member task force made up of district employees and community members. It anticipates the full-time return of students for in-person classes on Sept. 8, a three-week delay of the district's original Aug. 19 start date. Superintendent Daryl Kubilus said six feet of social distancing will be maintained in classrooms, where face masks won't be required as long as that standard is upheld. Masks will be required for preschool through 12th grade students in hallways and other congregate areas as well as on buses. As part of guidelines issued by the Ohio Department of Education on July 2, face masks are required at all times for district employees. A recent survey sent to district parents yielded results strongly in favor (87 percent) of sending students back to buildings full time with safety measures in place. Another survey found that 36 percent of parents were having difficulties balancing work and child care following closures in the spring. When narrowed down to elementary school parents, results for that question came back evenly split. "Please practice wearing masks with your sons and daughters," Kubilus said. "It has to become part of our culture. I'll also say that I'm not going to be standing in the hallways looking for people not doing what they're supposed to be doing and handing out detentions." Board Vice President Jeff Schreiber asked Kubilus if administrators and staff will be prepared to remove a student not wearing a mask from a group of people. The plan specified that mask requirements under any circumstances for students with medical conditions or special needs will be considered on a case-by-case basis. "There is an expectation that teachers will be out there (in the hallway)," Kubilus said. "In our professional development, they will be told that it's the expectation that you monitor our kids. If they don't follow the rules, we take necessary precautions to ensure they are following them." "I don't condone foul language in our halls," he added. "But I've never sent a student to the office for using foul language. I have put my arm around them and said, 'That's not how we act here in Cloverleaf.' I get, 'Dr. Kubilus, that won't happen again.'" Online learning options made available for students this past spring will continue to be offered, with Kubilus and board members acknowledging that some families won't be comfortable sending kids back without a definitive end to the COVID-19 pandemic in sight. Students will be able to opt into online learning at any time. Middle and high school students who elect to switch back to in-person classes would probably have to wait until the end of a semester, with the same going for trimesters at the elementary level. "We've had some experience now and our expectations have vastly increased for the content our kids will get," Kubilus said about online curriculum. "In our last online environment, we were trying to keep our kids engaged when their worlds had just been turned upside down. Now, there are expectations that we'll be diagnostically assessing our kids and determining what they need." In order to create classroom space needed for social distancing, the district could lease at least five modular trailers measuring roughly 700 square feet. Board members said other community buildings will be considered for use if the need arises and that non-traditional areas like gymnasiums and cafeterias will host lessons this fall. A two-tier bus schedule is maintained under the plan, one route for elementary school and one for middle and high school. In addition to all riders being required to wear masks at all times, seating will be assigned until further notice. Students will not be subjected to temperature checks, but staff will self-report to show temperatures of 100 or below on a daily basis. On Aug. 3, the task force will review Medina County's current status in the Ohio Department of Health's color-coded system for the severity of COVID-19 outbreaks. A negative turn there could trigger a transition to 100 percent online learning. The district is also targeting Aug. 19 to begin distribution of a student-parent handbook covering the entire reopening plan and other safety measures. "The biggest thing I've learned the past two weeks is that, tomorrow, we can be in a totally different world," said board President Jason Myers just before approving the plan. "Maybe we'll get a point where half of all of this doesn't apply, but it at least gives us a start to get things moving." Contact reporter Jonathan Delozier at (330) 721-4050 or jdelozier@medina-gazette.com.