Loveland Magazine

LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor

Since 2004

Tag: Tigers

  • Food stamp benefits available to eligible Ohio schoolchildren attending classes remotely

    Food stamp benefits available to eligible Ohio schoolchildren attending classes remotely

    By Ohio Capital Journal Staff

    Thousands of Ohio children who qualify for free or reduced-price meals at school will soon receive money to buy food through the Pandemic-Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT) program, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) announced last week.

    This funding was made possible by the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, a release said, adding that ODJFS provided more than $250 million in P-EBT benefits to more than 850,000 Ohio children last spring. The agency recently received federal approval to issue a second round of benefits for children enrolled in schools operating fully remotely or with a hybrid remote/in-person model, the release said.

    “As families juggle the challenges of work, remote learning, and additional responsibilities, I hope that these additional benefits eliminate the stress of providing healthy, nutritious meals,” said Gov. Mike DeWine in the release.

    ODJFS is working with the Ohio Department of Education and local school districts to identify all eligible children, which includes children participating in remote learning for at least five consecutive days between the dates Aug. 1 and Sept. 30 who are already eligible for free or reduced-price meals.

    “Ensuring that our most vulnerable children have access to nutritious meals remains a top priority,” said ODJFS Director Kimberly Hall. “As families continue to navigate the challenges related to COVID, we are happy to have the P-EBT program as an additional resource to offer our children and their families.”

    As with the benefits issued last spring, the P-EBT benefits will be added to the Ohio Direction cards of families that receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, the release said. Families that do not receive SNAP benefits will be sent P-EBT cards with the one-time benefit added and no application is needed, it added.

    Individuals may qualify for SNAP if their household’s gross monthly income is at or under 130% of the federal poverty guidelines. Ohioans can apply at benefits.ohio.gov.

  • TOMORROW: Loveland XC Invitational @Love_XC_Invite

    TOMORROW: Loveland XC Invitational @Love_XC_Invite

    Saturday, September 5th

    Symmes Township – Home of the Brave Park

    Symmes Township, Ohio – Since spectators are limited to parents/guardians of senior runners, here is how you can keep up with the race and even watch a live-stream.

    This is not a decision that we have taken lightly. The purpose of limiting spectators is to ensure that we meet all guidelines in place.

    In evaluating our options for the event the choices were to cancel the event or to limit spectators.

    We chose to limit spectators to give the runners an opportunity to compete!

    We want to give our runners every opportunity to have a complete season. We also want our senior parents/guardians to have the opportunity to see their athlete on the course at least one last time!  

    We are doing several things to help alleviate the disappointment for parents and families.

    HERE IS THE RACE 411 WITH ALL OF THE DETAILS OF WHEN EACH RACE WILL START

    Race Day Schedule & Course Maps, ETC.

    How to Watch and get Tweets 

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  • 11th Annual Captain Seth Mitchell HERO “VIRTUAL” 5K

    11th Annual Captain Seth Mitchell HERO “VIRTUAL” 5K

    Dear Loveland Magazine,

    I hope you are all healthy and finding your way through this unusual year of 2020. To that end the 2020 Captain Seth Mitchell Hero 5K scheduled for 10/10 in Nisbet Park will now be a VIRTUAL event to take place throughout the month of October. This means that even David Miller can now participate!   We will need video proof sources, but please none of those 70’s gym shorts……………

    Our local team of Damien Cook, Marisa Sobb, Mollie Schrichten and Greg Carpinello (recently moved to Portland, OR) have developed an event that should be fun for all. Additionally we have a new website and link to the event.

    Thanks for the continued support for 11 years (as of October).

    To review the Captain Seth Mitchell Hero 5K please link to: www.sethmitchellhero5k.org.

    Thank you for any consideration of helping us to publish the event.

    Best regards,

    Steve  Mitchell,

    Father of Captain David “Seth” Mitchell May 17, 1979 – October 26, 2009

    Register Now

    All proceeds benefit the Capt. Seth Mitchell Memorial Scholarship through Loveland Schools Foundation.

    About Seth Mitchell

    Captain and pilot in the United States Marine Corps and a 1997 Loveland High School graduate, was killed in action in Afghanistan in October 2009.  Seth contributed greatly to the Loveland community in his youth… he served as a leader and role model on the varsity football team, was voted to be Class President his senior year, and was named “Mr. Personality” by his peers.  He was well loved here.  After graduating, he took that same sense of service and loyalty into all that he did: as a son, a brother, a friend, a leader in the Marines.

    In other words, Seth was a hero for all.

    We are a group of Seth Mitchell’s high school classmates, who miss our friend and want to keep his memory alive.  We represent the many people who Seth made an impression on with his sense of humor, kind heart, and loyal friendship.  As we organize this 5k Race and the scholarship memorial fund, we are motivated by one enduring inspiration: to live each day a little more honorably, kindly, and humbly… just like Seth.

  • Terri Rogers says thanks for supporting the Loveland Initiative’s 24th annual backpack program

    Terri Rogers says thanks for supporting the Loveland Initiative’s 24th annual backpack program

    by Terri Rogers

    On August 19th, The Loveland Initiative continued to push our mission forward to provide educational support and assistance to underserved children and their families. We held our 24th annual backpack program for the 2020-2021 school year providing students with new backpacks filled with school supplies. 

    Terri Rogers is the Executive Director of the Loveland Initiative

    Due to the COVID 19 pandemic, the backpack program functioned differently this year. We made several changes to ensure that we had a safe program for our donors, partners, and the families we serve. 

    This year we teamed up with an amazing group, The Care Center at Northstar Community Church. Their mission is to provide CARE for the whole person as we help people remove barriers for success and build the resources needed to get to the next place in life. 

    Over 180 families received personal hygiene, cleaning supplies, and paper goods at The Care Center, and more than 200 backpacks filled with school supplies provided to kids through The Loveland Initiative via a drive-thru format.

    A HUGE thank you to The Care Center for hosting the program and for the use of their facility. A HUGE thank you our donors who collected backpacks, monetary donations and/or supplies. A HUGE thank you to ALL our volunteers, YOU were invaluable! A HUGE thank you to Loveland Magazine for their publicity support. Without the support from our awesome community we could not do what we do. 

    Once again, thank you for making our 24th annual backpack program an enormous success!!

    The Loveland Initiative is a 501(c)(3) registered charity. For more information on The Loveland Initiative, please contact Terri Rogers at trogers7@fuse.net or www.lovelandinitiative.org and our Facebook page.

  • A Community Right to Know: Will Loveland District report their COVID 19 data to the public?

    A Community Right to Know: Will Loveland District report their COVID 19 data to the public?

    David Miller is the Publisher of Loveland Magazine

    by David Miller

    In August when Loveland High School athletes and possibly a band student were tested positive and quarantined after testing positive for COVID 19  rumors quickly spread through the community, however, there was never any official acknowledgment, only a very brief, casual mention of it at a recent Board meeting. 

    Now that fall sports are underway and in-person instruction has begun, Loveland Magazine posed the following question to the District’s Information Officer yesterday:

    Is there a plan or will there be a plan to update the media in a real-time way when positive COVID 19 cases are in the school population? 

    The District’s answer seems to be maybe they will. The Superintendent says they are waiting for orders from Governor Mike DeWine.*

    It will be our right to know data the District collects. It is “our” data as tax-paying citizens. Projecting light on vital community health information is the surest disinfectant against rumor, speculation, and fear.

    Outbreaks in our schools may be the deadliest setting for the pandemic within our community.

    The District does not need open records COVID advice from the statehouse when choosing to let residents know about COVID spread in the community. It’s common sense to allow citizen’s in on the data so they can also help stop the spread.

    The local departments of health already releases data daily on a dozen different aspects of coronavirus cases, including the home ZIP codes of people with positive tests. The District should and can do the same. 

    Perhaps there is a reluctance to report bad news as if it would be bad publicity or perceived as a failure of policy of their diligent hard work keeping COVID out of classrooms. Not so. COVID is here and the public needs to feel confidant that the District who has gathered so many into classrooms will report to the greater community of our vulnerable population if there is a community spread from the local petri dish.

    Disclosing real-time/point of entry data would help all families make informed decisions. Parents, guardians, and childcare providers have a right to know if cases are increasing rapidly in the school district. 

    It’s a simple choice, either be 100% transparent or not. No advice from DeWine can prevent the District from immediately disclosing data that doesn’t compromise the privacy of students or staff or adhering to privacy restrictions that FERPA and HIPAA require.

    We’d have wished the Superintend had made an unconditional and unequivocal commitment to release real-time communication to district residents when COVID CASES are discovered in the classrooms and offices.

    Loveland citizens and Tigers alike can handle the truth and as always won’t run from you… they have proven all Summer long they won’t run from you if you get COVID.

    * Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse responded:

    When there is a positive case, our health team gathers the facts of the case, including the identifying information of those students and staff who have had close contact with the positive case (within 6 feet for 15 minutes or more). The district sends a notice of the positive case to the appropriate school/program based on the contact criteria. The district also works closely with the Hamilton County Department of Health to complete the requirements for contact tracing.

    Details of our health protocols are posted on our website and updated as needed.

    https://www.lovelandschools.org/NewHealthProtocols.aspx

    We are waiting on orders from the Governor for sharing our COVID data with the public. We have been discussing and planning for this COVID dashboard and will finalize our plan once we have the full details/order from the state.

    School Health Services Reopening Plans and Protocols

  • [POLL] Is it a good idea to post student’s home photos on School’s social pages?

    [POLL] Is it a good idea to post student’s home photos on School’s social pages?

    Loveland, Ohio – Today was the first day of school for the Loveland District and in a “Welcome Back, Tigers!” video on FaceBook, Superintendent Dr. Amy Crouse urged parents to send her photos of the children as they head back to school, whether in-person or remotely. Many parents already have and the photos have been posted on the District’s public FaceBook and Twitter pages.

    Many of these photos contain personal information about the child, whether standing at their front door, in their neighborhood or even photos of the child in their bedroom where they will be studying. Some of the photos give first names, some last names, what grade they are in, and their age. Many say the name of their teacher.

    On the District Twitter page, you can read the parent’s full name along with the child’s photo. Some of the posts disclose which day a child will be home and which day a child will be on the bus or at school, which reveals when a child may be waiting on their school bus or getting off one.

    Posting back to school photos on a personal FaceBook page is common practice and shared with personal friends and grandparents, however, posting children’s photos of them in their bedroom on a public page is infinite in the number of people around the globe who can now view the images along with the personal information.

    The invitation to parents said:

    We know that this school year is starting like no other, but we still want to still celebrate the first day of school on Monday.

    We hope that whether you are starting school in person or remotely that you share your official “first day of school” photos with us!

    Share using the hashtag #LCSFirstDay20 or email your photos to krsacome@lovelandschools.org. We will feature student photos on our social media channels all week! #TigersTogether #LCSFirstDay20.

    Dr. Crouse’s invitation is at the 38-second mark of this video.

    [poll id=”6″]

  • What can Loveland Middle School students expect when they come back to school?

    What can Loveland Middle School students expect when they come back to school?

    Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Middle School shared a video to FaceBook about what they have been working on and what their students can expect when they come back to school.

  • [VIDEO] A day at Loveland High School will look like this

    [VIDEO] A day at Loveland High School will look like this

    Loveland, Ohio – This week, the Loveland City School District has shared videos on FaceBook to give families a better insight into what to expect as they welcome back students on Monday, August 31.

    Here’s what Loveland High School teachers and administrators had to say.

  • [VIDEO] What will a day be like for students at the Loveland Intermediate School

    [VIDEO] What will a day be like for students at the Loveland Intermediate School

    Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland Intermediate School team walks you through what a typical day will look like for their incoming 5th and 6th graders.

    You may even see Mr. Carlier and Mrs. Carter race.

    This video was shared on the Loveland City Schools FaceBook page on August 26.

  • School funding bill to get new look under new speaker

    School funding bill to get new look under new speaker

    By Susan Tebbenand Ohio Capital Journal

    A school funding bill originally sponsored by new Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp is getting a fresh look and hopefully time in front of legislative committees before year’s end, according the legislator now heading up the bill.

    The other original sponsor of the proposed legislation, state Rep. John Patterson, said a substitute bill is in the works that should touch on longstanding concerns the Ohio Supreme Court had about the constitutionality of the state’s education system.

    “We’re taking a more balanced approach in the new bill,” Patterson, D-Jefferson, said.

    The state’s contribution to education budgets has stagnated over time, while private schools have benefitted from the EdChoice scholarship program, in which some state funding for public school districts has been redirected to religious, charter and community schools.

    EdChoice scholarships were frozen at current levels in an omnibus bill responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    State Rep. John Patterson, D-Jefferson.

    Patterson said a substitute version of House Bill 305 seeks to address “overarching criticisms” of the original bill, and the education system itself. One of the major criticisms is the distribution of money in the school funding formula between school districts with varying financial situations.

    “Under the current formula, districts are all interconnected, so as one district becomes wealthier, another becomes poorer,” Patterson told the Ohio Capital Journal.

    So, in the new plan co-sponsored this time by Rep. Gary Scherer, R-Circleville, the legislators want to reassess the amount that districts are able to raise on their own before they decide what the amount of state aid would be to schools.

    The proposed bill would also take the weight solely off of property taxes for school funding, something the 1997 decision by the Ohio Supreme Court in DeRolph v. State of Ohio ruled was a big reason the education system violated the state constitution.

    The new plan will combine property and income taxes along with a calculation of a district’s wealth level to “determine a district’s true capacity to raise its fair share,” according to Patterson.

    “The question is what is fair for the locals, and what is fair for the state,” Patterson said. “We have fine-tuned for that.”

    Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp (Ohio House Photo)

    Disadvantaged students would receive more immediate help than in previous funding models if the new bill is made law. In the original proposal for the bill, aid would have been phased in over time for school districts, but legislators are now looking to channel that aid to districts immediately. 

    Patterson planned to meet with interested parties — teachers’ unions, public school officials and community school representatives on Tuesday to discuss the plan. One of those parties is the Ohio Federation of Teachers, who said school funding needs a direction that accounts for social and emotional learning as well as test proficiency.

    “We’re hopeful that (the sponsors) are moving in the right direction,” said OFT executive director Melissa Cropper. “No school funding formula will be perfect, but having no school funding formula has been a disaster.”

    In the next month, simulations of financial situations will be run to test the effectiveness of the bill as it stands, and Patterson hopes the bill will be ready when the Ohio House returns to regular session in September.

    After anticipated amendments and passage of the bill, Patterson said implementation of the new formula could take years.

    With EdChoice pitting private schools and public schools against each other for funding in the state model, Patterson said concerns were brought from both sides, and his bill plans to address private school issues as well.

    “What I’ll say is we have heard their criticism and have addressed their concerns in the substitute bill,” Patterson. “I think they’re going to be pleased.”

    The changes made to the bill Cupp once authored have the blessing of the new speaker, according to Patterson. 

    “Speaker Cupp understands the absolute necessity of passing House Bill 305 in this General Assembly,” Patterson said.

    Neither Cupp nor Scherer responded to requests for comment.

    Susan Tebben

    Susan Tebben is an award-winning journalist with a decade of experience covering Ohio news, including courts and crime, Appalachian social issues, government, education, diversity and culture. She has worked for The Newark Advocate, The Glasgow Daily Times, The Athens Messenger, and WOUB Public Media. She has also had work featured on National Public Radio.