Loveland, Ohio – Loveland parents Leah Marcus and Becca Moates say, “Hey all, It’s time to take our combined effort and show our Superintendent and School Board what is important.” They wrote a template letter, a petition, with the help of who they call a super IT friend to solicit support to help them protect school children, teachers, and the community by performing the following COVID 19 related steps.
- Read the below letter.
- Open your email client and start a new email by clicking this link.
- This will send email to board@lovelandschools.org and broadwmi@lovelandschools.org
- Copy the contents of the below template and paste it into the body of the email message.
- Add your name and additilal comment to the bottom of the document.
- Share your voice by hitting send.
Moates adds, “I can’t stress enough how important it is as a community for us to come together around this. Our healthcare systems are drowning and we are hurting our most vulnerable if we don’t act.”
Dear Superintendent and School Board Members, I am writing as a resident of the Loveland City School District to urge you, our Superintendent and elected School Board members, to maintain the all staff and PreK through 6th grade universal indoor masking requirements, scheduled to end January 18, 2021. I am also writing to request that the current universal indoor masking requirement be expanded to include students in grades 7 -12. This request is being made in consideration of the recent COVID-19 Omicron variant case surge, which has been shown to be more transmissible and contagious than previous variants. The Ohio Department of Health, the Ohio Department of Education, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the CDC, and locally, the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, recently provided clear guidance for universal masking in schools and in the community. Universal indoor masking, in addition to vaccination and boosters for those eligible, are strongly recommended as the best tools, especially when used in tandem, for mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and the current variant. The pandemic also continues to take a toll on our children’s and educators’ mental health. Since the pandemic began, rates of psychological distress among young people, including anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders have increased substantially. There is much to be done and each of us has a part to play. Supporting the mental health of youth will require a community effort to address challenges, strengthen the resilience of young people, support their families, and mitigate the pandemic’s mental health impact. As a resident of the Loveland City School District, I am asking that you consider the following actions: 1. Maintain universal indoor masking for all staff. 2. Maintain Universal indoor masking for all students Pre-K through Grade 6. 3. Expand universal indoor masking requirements to include students in grades 7 - 12. 4. Identify a threshold for educator and/or student absence at which the district will move forward with a remote learning plan. 5. Increase the frequency with which you report to the public student and educator absences as well as individuals positive for COVID. 6. Create and promote safe, positive, and affirming school environments which are inclusive and supportive of student’s social, emotional, and cultural needs. 7. Provide key administrative, educator, and paraprofessional staff with the necessary training to recognize signs of changes in mental and physical health among students. 8. Provide Mental health gatekeeper training so that staff and peers take appropriate action when needed. 9. Support the mental health of all school personnel, including providing competitive wages, time off, access to well paid substitute teachers, regularly assessing staff well-being, and integrating measures to help personnel maintain their own empathy, compassion, and ability to create positive environments for students. As superintendent and elected school board members, your roles include the evaluation of district operations, interpretations of public health policies, and health service delivery. My role as a district resident is to help our district leadership identify the areas in need of protection, prioritization, and planning to keep Loveland City School District safe and in school: Universal Indoor Mask Requirements and adequate Mental Health Support for Students and Staff. Signature Add Additional Comment References for Information: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/omicrons-effect-wont-be-as-mild-as-hoped1/ https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-coronavirus-cases-hit-record-high-2021-12-29/ https://www.kcur.org/news/2021-12-17/kansas-city-hospitals-are-full-again-omicron-has-arrived-and-doctors-are-begging-for-your-help https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/70/wr/pdfs/mm7046a4-H.pdf https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/omicron-propagates-70-times-faster-than-delta-in-bronchi-study-69540 https://www.med.hku.hk/en/news/press/20211215-omicron-sars-cov-2-infection https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/28/health/chicago-childrens-hospital-surge-doctor-vaccines/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-youth-mental-health-advisory.pdf https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/our-youth-are-struggling-with-mental
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