TOLEDO, Ohio — "We're glad that the governor made the decision to close schools for the rest of the year, that allows us to make sure that students are safe, I think it's also a relief to our parents to know their children are safe," Executive Transformational Leader of Curriculum and Instruction for Toledo Public Schools Jim Gault said.
The continuation of virtual learning is welcome news to leaders at TPS and Washington Local Schools who are working to figure out exactly what the decision means for the future.
"You have hundreds of questions and trust me, we do too. And we will have answers in the coming weeks as we get further guidance from the Governor, from Dr. Acton and from the Department of Education," Washington Local Schools Superintendent Dr. Kadee Anstadt said.
Sylvania Schools released a similar statement. The superintendent says she realizes the significant impact the decision has on families.
Moving forward, the districts will be looking at what next year could look like for students knowing it's almost guaranteed that the virus will still be around.
"We're in discussions about what summer learning could look like and also what does it look like in the fall. We've missed in essence two months of school, so there is significant learning loss that will occur," Gault said.
Gov. Mike DeWine talked about one of the options he says he's talked about with superintendents across the state, blended learning.
"It's a system that might mean some distance learning as well as some in-person," DeWine said.
Anstadt says parents should be reassured knowing that teachers will be there to help students figure everything out.
"We've been doing this for years meeting your child at wherever they are to make sure they are successful for the next level. We've got this. I don't want you to stress over what's going to happen next year or where they'll be in the fall, we will make this work," Anstadt said.
Other important programs including meals for students will continue throughout the rest of the school year. TPS is also continuing to try and get technology in the hands of students who need it to continue learning.
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