FAIRBORN — Fairborn school board members will vote on Thursday, Aug. 6 whether or not to delay the start of the school year.
If the vote passes, the school year would begin Thursday, Aug. 27 for staff and Tuesday, Sept. 8 for students, according to a statement released Tuesday from the district. The end date for the school year would be pushed to Friday, June 11, 2021 for staff.
Currently, the first day of school for grades 1-12 is scheduled for Monday, Aug. 24 while preschoolers and Kindergarteners have a Thursday, Aug. 27 start date.
The district also said it has decided to move forward with the Re-start Plan, approved at the July 23 board meeting, which offers families the option to choose traditional in-person or full-time virtual learning.
The plan outlines in-school protocols including the use of facial coverings, conducting health assessments at home, staggered class changes, lunch and recess modifications, and guidelines for sick or symptomatic students and staff. Under the virtual learning option, students will learn curriculum supplied by Greene County Educational Service Center (GCESC).
“We will now begin the work of reworking master schedules, re-distributing students who will be attending in person across classrooms, maximizing safety protocols in our buildings and on our buses, and determining what teacher support we can provide for students who have chosen the virtual option,” the FCS statement said.
School officials said they would continue to monitor the online learning options survey and the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, and communicate any changes to the plan as soon as possible.
“The unique difficulties that Covid-19 has presented us as educators are fueled by numerous factors that we simply can’t control as well as a multitude of unknowns that are difficult to troubleshoot,” they said. “Each new day seems to bring new challenges. Nevertheless, we remain committed to our students and our community. We are striving to re-open our schools in the safest manner possible for everyone as well as offer a virtual option that is robust yet accessible.”
Families can choose the traditional or online option by updating their OneView account online.
The Fairborn City School District Re-Start plan and online learning survey can be found in full at www.fairborn.k12.oh.us.
