Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

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Tag: public schools

Ohio Education Association urges statewide suspension of in-person classes

By Susan Tebben and the Ohio Capital Journal

The state’s largest public schools union is asking that all public schools suspend in-person instruction until mid-January “in light of the alarming explosion in community spread of the coronavirus in recent weeks.”

The Ohio Education Association said in a statement that they plan on calling “state leaders and school districts” to discuss a new plan they have related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

As part of the plan, the OEA wants all districts to go back to remote learning until Jan. 11, including a 14-day quarantine after Christmas.

As part of the plan, the OEA wants all districts to go back to remote learning until Jan. 11, including a 14-day quarantine after Christmas.

“This reset period, whether schools delay instruction educate student in a fully remote model, is critical not only to ensure student and staff safety, but also to give schools time to refine their delivery model and make other necessary adjustments to execute their instructional plan so students can receive the best education possible in the face of all the challenges the pandemic presents,” said Scott DiMauro, president of the OEA, in the statement.

Currently, student cases in schools have surpassed 20,000 in the state, according to data from the Ohio Department of Health. As of Monday, children accounted for 37,623 reported COVID-19 cases in the state, or 8% of all cases. A total of 434 children have been hospitalized with COVID-19 and three children have died, according to state data.

Scott DiMauro, president of the OEA

Franklin County reported the most cases in children, with 5,432, followed by Hamilton (3,256), Cuyahoga (3,210) and Montgomery (2,231).

Franklin County reported the most cases in children followed by Hamilton County

The OEA board of directors adopted the recommended steps on Dec. 3. Along with the pushing districts to go online, the OEA’s plan would require approval of their “instructional model and staff safety plan” from the local board of health before reopening.

“Schools that are unable to obtain sign-off must be required to operate fully remote and shall not hold extracurricular activities,” according to the plan.

The Ohio Department of Education said the decision to hold classes in person or remotely “remains a local decision.”

The ODE recently released “considerations for schools and districts in purple counties” on the state’s Public Health Advisory System. The map showed a total of seven purple counties as of Monday.

“Ohio’s education system must continue to be flexible and responsive to ensure the health and safety of all students, teachers and employees,” the department said in it’s directive for districts in purple counties.

The other two steps in the OEA recommendations are for state and local governments rather than school districts.

The plan calls on governmental bodies to “do whatever is necessary to slow the spread of this disease and diminish its impact on the delivery of instruction.”

“OEA fully supports maintaining the authority of the Governor and Ohio Department of Health to implement and enforce efforts to contain community spread, including but not limited to expanding contact tracing and testing programs and strict enforcement mask orders, limits on large gatherings, and closure of non-essential businesses and services that are known to increase the risk of community spread of the virus,” the OEA board of directors stated.

The union also pushed for the funding of a new federal coronavirus relief bill, something Gov. Mike DeWine also did at a Monday press conference.

14 new positive cases of COVID-19 in Loveland schools

Loveland Magazine – Dec 7, 2020

Dec 8, 2020
AG Yost Announces $10 Million in Grants for School Safety Initiatives
Columbus, Ohio – Ohio’s schools can now apply for their share of $10 million in school safety grants awarded by Attorney General Dave Yost’s office for the 2019-20 school year.

All public schools, chartered nonpublic school and schools operated by county boards of developmental disabilities are eligible to receive either $2,500 or $4.49 per student, whichever amount is greater.

“Our kids learn and grow best in an environment free from fear and violence,” Yost said. “These grants will help bring that goal closer to reality.”

Funding for the grants comes from dollars that legislators set aside for school safety in House Bill 166. The law gives school leaders flexibility to decide how the grant funds can best benefit school safety and security efforts. These efforts may include:
- The support of school resource officer certification training;
- Any type of active shooter and school safety training or equipment;
- All grade level type educational resources;
- Training to identify and assist students with mental health issues;
- School supplies or equipment related to school safety or for implementing the school’s safety plan;
- Any other training related to school safety.
The attorney general’s office notified superintendents today of their eligibility and provided instructions for accessing the funds. All applications are due by Dec. 13.
Oct 24, 2019
We’re Building Tiger Nation, Together

An update on the Loveland City School District Facility Master Plan

By Dr. Amy Crouse, Loveland City School District Superintendent

The Loveland community has once again come together for the benefit of its students: on January 23, more than 150 members of the general public and school community gathered at the third Building Tiger Nation community meeting, where the district shared the latest information on the progress of the Loveland Schools facility master planning. The architects, with whom we have worked closely for the past year in assessing our buildings and how they serve our students and staff, presented the first options for a new district facility master plan.

In addition, the Loveland Board of Education has discussed proceeding with investigations into the possible acquisition of land for construction, which brings with it new potential in this process.It allows us to potentially make possible what currently is not: creating the spaces we need to accommodate not only our current students and programs, but also the growing population of students that are projected to enroll in our schools over the next decade. It also allows us to realistically contemplate adding spaces that are specifically dedicated to science, technology, engineering, math and arts programs, which we so desperately need and are critical to the future success of our students.

Our top priority is to advance the mission of student learning and growth, and to improve the physical environment for the students and staff while continuing to be fiscally responsible. With this in mind, we are grateful for the involvement of the community in the decisions we will be making in the months to come.

We have worked hard to make the facility master planning process transparent and accessible to all Loveland stakeholders. We want everyone to be informed and engaged, providing feedback and posing questions as they arise. As we continue with our master planning process into the spring, we want to hear from you. There will be opportunities to voice opinions and concerns as we evaluate, prioritize and finalize the recommendation that will be presented to the Loveland Board of Education, likely in April. The Building Tiger Nation Finance Committee continues to hold its monthly meetings, open to the public, and will be adding more meetings to the calendar as the work intensifies to develop a financing recommendation that will be presented to the board along with the facility master plan recommendation.

I appreciate the support of this amazing community, which understands the needs of its students and values the public schools as an integral part of Loveland’s success.

In service to our Tigers.

More information on Building Tiger Nation is available on www.buildingtigernation.org

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Feb 26, 2019
2018 Community School (charter schools) Sponsor Evaluations Released
Columbus, Ohio – To help ensure accountability and quality in Ohio’s community school system, the Ohio Department of Education today released the 2017-2018 sponsor evaluations.

What’s a Sponsor? – A sponsor has the authority (ability) to establish a community school. Sponsors ensure that schools adhere to their contracts, and they make important decisions, such as whether to renew contracts with community schools. They also provide oversight and technical assistance.

What’s a Community School? – Community schools, which are often called charter schools nationally and in other states, are public schools created in Ohio law; are independent of any school district; and are part of the state’s education program. Community schools are public schools of choice and are state and federally funded.

“High-quality sponsors are the foundation for an effective community school system,” said Paolo DeMaria, superintendent of public instruction. “The sponsor evaluations are an important piece of Ohio’s accountability system, driving continuous improvement and helping to ensure Ohio’s families have quality school choice options.”

The sponsor evaluation system assists the Ohio Department of Education in its oversight of sponsors and helps increase the quality of sponsor practices. The evaluation framework is made up of three equally weighted components:
- Academic Performance;
- Compliance with Rules and Laws; and
- Quality Practices.
The Academic Performance component determines how well students are performing academically at sponsors’ schools. The Compliance component rates whether sponsors are compliant with all relevant laws and rules and whether sponsors are monitoring their schools’ compliance with laws and rules. The Quality Practices component, which was created using national standards and input from sponsors, looks at sponsors’ adherence to quality practices.

All three components are scored on a common scale (0-4 points) to allow for simple calculations. Sponsors receive points for each component that, when added together, provide a summative rating. The point scale for 2017-2018 is as follows:

Ohio law includes a set of incentives for sponsors rated “exemplary,” as well as a set of consequences for sponsors rated “ineffective” and “poor.” For example, a sponsor rated “exemplary” for two consecutive years is able to take advantage of incentives, including receiving a longer term on its contract with the Department. Any sponsor that receives an “ineffective” overall rating is prohibited from sponsoring any new or additional community schools, and the sponsor is subject to a quality improvement plan. Any sponsor that receives a “poor” rating or three consecutive “ineffective” ratings is subject to revocation of its sponsorship authority. An appeals process is available to sponsors that are subject to revocation of their sponsorship authority.

The 2017-2018 community school sponsor evaluations can be found online by clicking here.

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Nov 15, 2018