Loveland, Ohio – Here are the “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” reports for the Loveland Middle School that were obtained through a public records request to the District.
Loveland Magazine asked the Superintendent to provide Loveland Magazine with the report “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” that LJB Inc. prepared for the District. LJB was awarded a contract in July for $66,250 for “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” services. The report was prepared under the previous CDC definition of “close contact”.
Loveland, Ohio – Although Hamilton County is no longer listed on Ohio’s watch list to turn PURPLE, there are still serious concerns about spread of the coronavirus new health data compiled by the Ohio Department of Health reveals.
Clermont County is now a RED County.
Hamilton County remains RED.
Warren County remains RED.
Level 3 (RED) on the Risk Level Indicator means there has been a public emergency declared and there is very high level of spread and exposure in the county.
The Ohio Department of Health guidance in a RED county is to:
Conduct a daily health/symptom self-evaluation and stay at home if symptomatic.
Maintain social distancing of at least 6 feet from non-household members.
Wear face coverings in public, especially when social distancing is difficult to maintain.
Increase caution when interacting with others not practicing social distancing or wearing face covers.
Avoid traveling to high-risk areas.
Follow good hygiene standards, including:
Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
Use hand sanitizer frequently.
Avoid touching your face.
Cover coughs or sneezes (e.g., into a tissue, or elbow).
Symptom self-evaluation monitoring.
Avoid contact with anyone who is considered high-risk.
High-risk individuals should take extra care to follow precautions.
Seek medical care as needed, but limit or avoid unnecessary visits to hospitals, nursing homes, and residential care facilities to see others as much as possible.
Decrease in-person interactions with others
Consider necessary travel only
Limit attending gatherings of any number
Forty-three Ohio counties currently have a very high risk of exposure and spread (Red Level 3), up from 38 counties last week. This represents the highest number of Red Level 3 counties since the launch of the advisory system in July. As of today, 78 percent of Ohioans are living in a Red Level 3 county. Less than 1 percent of Ohioans live in a Yellow Level 1 county.
“The virus is raging throughout the state, and there is no place to hide,” said Governor DeWine today. “We must face this virus head-on with the tools that we know can beat this virus back: masks, social distancing, washing hands frequently, and good ventilation when inside.”
DeWine announced today that Ohio has now hit a record number of cases reported in a single 24-hour period. Between yesterday and today, health officials have reported a total of 3,590 new positive coronavirus cases in Ohio which is more than 700 cases more than the previous high number of cases reported last Saturday. A total of 194 new hospitalizations were also reported in the past 24 hours, the third-highest number of hospitalizations reported in a single day so far.
Meanwhile, the Loveland School District reported today that they were notified that two more Loveland High School students have tested positive for COVID-19. One student was last at school on Thursday, 10/22/20, and the other on Monday, 10/26/20. (Also read: COVID-19 Positive Cases in Loveland Schools)
Loveland PK-8 grades are in the “Full Capacity” mode of attendance for students not enrolled in the remote academy. Loveland High School remains in a blended mode of attendance for students not enrolled in the remote academy.
COVID-19 Case Rates Per County as of Oct. 28, 2020
County
Color
Cases Per 100 K
Case Count
Population
Clermont
RED(H)
219.9
454
206,428
Hamilton
RED(H)
261.4
2,137
817,473
Warren
RED(H)
303.5
712
234,602
“H” indicates there is “High Incidence” The 14-day period used for this table covers data from Oct. 14 to Oct. 27. The data were pulled on Oct. 28 and exclude incarcerated individuals. Source: Ohio Disease Reporting System (ODRS). Population from 2019, U.S. Census Bureau.
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There are currently 96 Clermont County cases in the 45140, 45147, and 45150 Zip Code areas. Forty have died in Clermont County and there are 340 current active cases.
Hamilton County is reporting that there have been 320 cases in the 45140 Zip Code. There are currently 177 cases in the county and 235 deaths recorded. The 7-day average for new cases is 177.
In Warren county there are currently 295 hospitalizations and 642 new cases in the last 14 days. Sixty-six have died and 3 have died in the last 14 days. There is an average of 72 new cases per day in the county. No zip code level data is available for Warren County.
(While the city of Loveland lies partially in Clermont County, the city’s public health services are contracted with Hamilton County Public Health. So, if a resident lives in the city of Loveland and tests positive for COVID-19, that case would be counted in Hamilton County Public Health’s statistics, not Clermont County’s.)
Per CDC
Among adults the risk for severe illness from COVID-19 increases with age, with older adults at highest risk. People of any age with the following conditions are at increased risk of severe illness: chronic kidney disease; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; weakened immune system from solid organ transplant; obesity (body mass index of 30 or higher); serious heart conditions such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies; Sickle cell disease; and Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Children who are medically complex, who have neurologic, genetic, metabolic conditions, or who have congenital heart disease are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19 than other children.
People who need to take extra precautions include racial and ethnic minority groups; people experiencing homelessness; women who are pregnant or breastfeeding; people with disabilities; and people with developmental and behavioral disorders.
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland School District sends notification when positive COVID 19 cases are reported to District officials. They only release quarantine numbers on Fridays.
In the evening of Wednesday, 10/21/20, the district was notified that one student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last present at school on Saturday, 10/17/20.
On Thursday, 10/22/20, the district was notified that one student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last present at school on Monday, 10/19/20.
On Thursday, 10/22/20, the district was notified that one student at Loveland Middle School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last present at school on Tuesday, 10/20/20.
On Friday, 10/23/20, the district was notified that one student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last present at school on Tuesday, 10/20/20.
On Friday, 10/23/20, the district was notified that one non-teaching staff member at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This staff member was last present at school on Tuesday, 10/20/20.
On the evening of Friday 10/23/20, the district was notified that one student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last present at school on Monday, 10/19/20.
On Tuesday, 10/27/20, the district was notified that one student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last present at school on Thursday, 10/22/20.
On Wednesday 10/28/20, the district was notified that one student at Loveland Middle School tested positive for COVID-19. This student was last present at school on Tuesday, 10/27/20.
On Wednesday, 10/28/20, the district was notified that two students at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19. One student was last at school on Wednesday, 10/21/20, and the other on Thursday, 10/22/20.
Below is the last COVID 19 Dashboard published by the District. It was published on Friday, October 23. The District will not release another Dashboard until this Friday afternoon. (Right Click to open in a new tab to see a larger view)
Loveland, Ohio – Here are the “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” reports for the Loveland Intermediate School that were obtained through a public records request to the District.
Loveland Magazine asked the Superintendent to provide Loveland Magazine with the report “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” that LJB Inc. prepared for the District. LJB was awarded a contract in July for $66,250 for “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” services. The report was prepared under the previous CDC definition of “close contact”.
Here is what was prepared for the Loveland Middle School
David Miller is the Editor and Publisher of Loveland Magazine
by David Miller
Loveland, Ohio– Yesterday, the Loveland School District described their newsletter that was issued at 4:34 PM as an “Urgent LHS Schedule Update”. In the release, they announced that Loveland High School will remain on the current hybrid learning model through Friday, November 6.
The students were scheduled to go to 5-day in-person learning (for all students that have chosen to attend in-person classes) this Monday, October 26.
Students in PK-8 will remain in their current “full in-person” learning model which began Monday, October 12.
An important note is that some students at all grade levels have not been attending any in-person classes and have enrolled in the District’s Remote Learning Academy, so none of the school buildings are at, or will be at, “full in-person” or 100% student capacity.
The in-person, high school students have been in a “blended” model of attendance since the start of the school year which means individual students have been alternating between in-person and remote learning activities at home.
The District has been regularly reporting in the afternoon when student or staff positive COVID 19 cases have been reported to the schools, but have refused to release data during the week about how many students or staff are under quarantine. In response to questions to Superintendent, Dr. Amy Crouse, she only says that the quarantine numbers will be released when they publish a new “dashboard” on Fridays. She was asked for the quarantine numbers on Tuesday and Wednesday this week when new positive cases were reported. When she refused, she was then asked, “What is the reason you will not answer the question or release this information to Loveland Magazine?” Her answer was, “I will forward the question about quarantines and our procedures for sharing those on a single day to our health team. They do all the contact tracing, communications, and protocols.”
Loveland Magazine is waiting on the answer.
In yesterday’s “Urgent LHS Schedule Update” the District said, “Due to a recent rise in LHS student cases and subsequent quarantines because of events outside of school, next week will operate like this week. As the district has continued to receive more information, we are concerned that more student cases may arise.”
The District says that their change of plans for the high school is based in part on “quarantines” and we believe students, parents, teachers, staff, and the community have a right to know how exactly how many students are not attending classes today because they are under quarantine.
The District has repeatedly emphasized how important it is for children to have an in-person educational learning opportunity. We believe that the quarantine numbers are important for the public to have when evaluating how effective the in-person model actually is.
Loveland Magazine has also asked for the report “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” that LJB Inc. prepared for the District.
LBJ was awarded a contract in July for $66,250 for “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” services. We have not received that report after repeated attempts. All we are being told is that the report is in the business manager’s office and he is out of his office and we should receive the report when he returns. Loveland Magazine sent the public records request directly to the Superintendent because we believe she certainly has a digital file of the report on her server and sending it to us should take but a click of her mouse.
The report belongs to the public. District taxpayers funded the report and they have a right to see what the experts recommended when they studied how many students and teachers should be in classrooms under the hybrid and full capacity models.
The Superintendent is making unilateral decisions based in part on quarantine data and should release the data and the “Pandemic Preparedness and Planning” report immediately.
From the District COVID-19 Update Newsletters
In the evening on 10/21/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On 10/22/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On 10/22/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland Middle School tested positive for COVID-19.
In the evening on 10/19/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On 10/20/20, the district was also notified that two additional students at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On 10/19/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On 10/13/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
The district was notified that a student at Loveland Primary School tested positive for COVID-19.
On Thursday, 10/8/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On Tuesday evening, 10/6/20, the district was notified that two students at Loveland High School tested positive for COVID-19.
On Sunday, 10/4/20, the district was notified that a non-teaching staff member at Loveland Elementary School has tested positive for COVID-19.
On Monday, 10/5/20, the district was notified that a student at Loveland High School has also tested positive for COVID-19.
On Saturday, September 19, 2020, the district was notified that a student member of Loveland Middle School tested positive for COVID-19.
(September 14) This weekend, the district was notified that one of our bus drivers has tested positive for COVID-19.
@BionicTigersFTC are participating in a sock drive led by @CRoboknights to donate to homeless shelters. If you would like to donate, there are boxes at LECC, LPS, LIS, and LMS, or you can ask a team member.
Students in the VEX Robotics Program at Loveland High School started working on their current robots last summer and will continue to refine them throughout the 2019-20 competition season.
Loveland, Ohio – It may be just a few days before Christmas, but teams from Loveland High School (LHS) and Loveland Middle School (LMS) will be competing with more than 40 other teams from across the region in the VEX Robotics Competition at LHS on December 21, officially kicking off their tournament season. The seven Loveland teams have been hard at work preparing for the 2019-2020 season.
“This game has many challenging aspects, including robot design, programming, and game strategy,” said LHS Robotics Coordinator Amy Stewart.
In the competition, teams of students will use their own designed and built robots to compete against other teams in a game-based engineering challenge. This year’s VEX Robotics game, “Tower Takeover,” is played on a 12’x12’ square field with the object of attaining a higher score than the opposing alliance by placing cubes in towers or scoring cubes in goals.
“This game has many challenging aspects, including robot design, programming, and game strategy,” said LHS Robotics Coordinator Amy Stewart.
The matches on December 21 start at 9:45 AM and the event concludes with an awards ceremony around 4 PM.
The competition is open to the public and free of charge.
The competition tests the students’ knowledge of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) concepts, inspiring them to bring their best problem-solving skills to the table while simultaneously building on teamwork, leadership, and communication skills for life. Tournaments are held throughout the year at the regional, state and national levels, with an eye toward the VEX Robotics World Championship, which is held annually in April.
The matches on December 21 start at 9:45 AM and the event concludes with an awards ceremony around 4 PM.
The competition is open to the public and free of charge.
To learn more about this year’s competition game, visit vexrobotics.com.
For more information about programs available to students at Loveland, visit Loveland Robotics at lovelandrobotics.wixsite.com.
Columbus, Ohio – Catie Rudisell, a science teacher at Loveland Middle School (LMS), has earned an award by the Ohio Middle Level Association (OMLA) in recognition of her outstanding qualities and her commitment and contributions to middle level education. Rudisell was one of four award recipients from the Southwest Region recognized at the 2019 OMLA State Conference in Columbus, November 7-8.
Catie Rudisell, a science teacher at Loveland Middle School, was recognized with the Regional Award at the annual OMLA State Conference in Columbus on November 7 (Photo credit: Dustan Muir)
“Ms. Rudisell is what I refer to as a ‘game changer,’ in and outside the classroom,” said LMS Principal Charles Ogdan. “She is a professional, transformational teacher and a leader by example. She initiated the process of standards based grading about five years ago, and led the entire middle school science department through the process, resulting in truly engaging students with the goal of content mastery.”
In 2018, LMS earned the prestigious Student and Staff Recognition Award by the OMLA for its culture creation practices. Students and staff continue to be recognized weekly based on four core values: Grit (hard work), Rise (improvement), Innovation (creativity) and Leadership (distinguished leadership). Students also have the opportunity to win a seat at the monthly Principal’s Lunch based on their display of the same core values, and to earn prizes for perfect attendance.
“We have amazing students and a top-notch staff at LMS,” said Ogdan. “My vision for our school is one where all students and staff have an ever-present ‘growth mindset.’ Ms. Rudisell, who always thinks of new and innovative ways to engage her students and extend their learning, is the perfect example of that.”
Mike Hunting is a resident of the Black Horse neighborhood
by Mike Hunting
The proposed school levy for Loveland has been extremely stressful for residents on both sides of the issue. I have no doubt the students, faculty, and staff at Loveland schools would love to work and study in newer facilities and use turf athletic fields. The folks opposed to the levy are extremely frustrated with what appears to be the largest tax hike in the history of Loveland and possibly in the state of Ohio. While I can sympathize with the frustrated faculty and want to support our schools (and have supported them), the tax implications of this levy are simply stated…ridiculous.
We need to realize this will break the bank for many people who are living in and around Loveland. I attended the meetings on September 9 at Loveland Middle School (LMS) and on September 12 at Loveland High School (LHS).
During the LMS meeting, I heard several couples say they would move if this levy passed. One couple was in dire straits because they had moved several times recently and cannot afford to move again. They are now simply stuck in Loveland and facing what appears to be the largest tax hike in the city’s (and possibly state’s) history. A tax hike that is certain to be followed again and again with MORE levies.
For those who paid attention to the words of Loveland Superintendent, Dr Amy Crouse, she said she hopes Clermont County and the City of Loveland will help with infrastructure costs for the new school. To date, Loveland and Clermont have not officially committed to these costs, at least not publicly to us. Expect another levy to cover this if and when they refuse (and even if they do we are STILL paying for it).
I would also expect a third levy to cover more teachers since this proposed levy adds several buildings but only two additional teachers. I strongly believe we have reached the breaking point in this community. We will likely see an exodus similar to what is happening in failed areas such as New York City, Detroit, Chicago, California, and much of New England.
Perhaps the most frustrating part of the meetings last week was the school board’s arrogant attempt to manipulate its audiences. At both meetings, members of the school board, the Treasurer, and Dr. Crouse kept saying, “The community wants this” or “the community voted for this.” Most of the community didn’t even know of this levy until the flyers arrived in their mailboxes in mid-August. Thus, the community certainly DID NOT vote for the levy or approve it. The only people I have spoken with who are in favor of this are school faculty or folks affiliated with the schools (although I have also spoken with school employees who are opposed).
The timeline of the release of information is interesting. My family and many of our peers didn’t even know about this levy until we received the flyers in our mailboxes around August 15. August 15 is a significant date because the deadline to place names on the ballot to run against Art Jarvis and Kathryn Lorenz was August 7. Once again, this is utterly ridiculous (albeit well played by Art and Kathryn and the other members of the Levy). Since they are now protected for at least two more years, expect more levy proposals even after this one is shot down.
The Treasurer, Kevin Hawley, stated he will propose another levy if this goes down.He doesn’t even live within this tax district, so why would he care? We must get people to run against this out of control board and Treasurer at the earliest opportunity.
Dr. Amy Crouse finished the meeting on Thursday by saying, “We hope we answered some of your questions, and we hope that you choose to support this when it comes time in November so that we can move forward.”Unfortunately, they failed to answer many of our questions. They would not allow us to voice questions and we had to submit index cards with questions written on them for Thursday’s meeting. Thus, they could selectively answer the easy questions and dodge the relevant questions. I know for a fact I saw roughly 30-40 index cards with questions on Thursday. I am guessing they answered at most 1/3 of these cards.My question was not answered. I merely wanted to confirm Dr. Crouse and Mr. Hawley live elsewhere and thus won’t be impacted by the increased taxes (which I have since learned is true).
The last part of Dr. Crouse’s statement is interesting. She recommends how we should vote from inside a government building and while serving in an official government capacity. Thus, the government is telling you how you should vote and not allowing the opposition to speak. This is on tape.
There are still several issues that need to be addressed with this request being made of the taxpayers; issues such as reducing the millage, and the short and long term cost risk. Below are issues that need to be closely reviewed, addressed, and considered in order to achieve a millage reduction and a clearer path to this levy passing.
Why are three buildings needed for grades K-5?
One building for grades K-5, or two separate buildings; one for grades K-2 and one for grades 3-5 will be less costly to design, construct and maintain than three separate buildings, even if located on the same property. The new facility plan for grades K-5 is not efficient cost-wise. Significant cost savings can be realized by reducing the number of buildings, without sacrificing the safety and delivery of education, and still maintains the same number of grade levels between one or two buildings versus three buildings.
New or renovated educational facilities are more important than upgraded athletic facilities. The current athletic facilities are more than adequate for now. Priority needs to be focused towards the educational facilities’ needs and not the athletic facilities’ needs.
What maintenance has occurred at the existing middle school athletic facilities?
Having been to the athletic facilities at the middle school, it appears to me that maintenance has been largely ignored. Illustration of care needs to be shown towards the existing athletic facilities before asking the taxpayers to fund new; otherwise, history will quickly repeat itself. The existing high school athletic facilities are wonderful in my opinion. The field turf and track surface are brand new at the football stadium, and the baseball and softball fields are more than adequate. There is no need to spend taxpayer dollars unnecessarily.
The immediate needs pertaining to capital building improvements appear to be the current LECC, LPS, and LES buildings. I have attended several functions at all three buildings and it is obvious that these buildings need to be replaced with new ones. I have much respect for the administration and staff for delivering quality education given the antiquated state of these buildings. Regarding the capital building improvements for the LIS, LMS, and the HS, either place this scope on a future ballot for permanent improvements if upgraded athletic facilities take precedent over updated buildings, or eliminate the entire scope for the upgraded athletic facilities. If safer buildings and delivery of quality education are the priorities, then the scope for upgrades to the athletic facilities is expendable.
Why risk combining the operation portion of the levy with the permanent improvement portion?
The Loveland community has largely supported the levies placed on the ballot over the last approximately 20 years. I do not want to hear that services will have to be reduced or eliminated since the entire levy did not pass when a stand-alone operation levy will have a much better chance of passing instead of combining with the permanent improvement portion.
