TOLEDO, Ohio — COVID-19 continues to have a big impact on Lucas County.
On Nov. 25, the health department mandated school districts move grades 7-12 to virtual learning by Friday as we get closer to the holidays.
"The data is certainly trending in a direction that we don't like. Just like it is across the county, across the country really," said Washington Local Schools Superintendent Dr. Kadee Anstadt.
Multiple districts across Lucas County are taking the next couple of days to prepare for remote learning starting Dec. 4, with some opting to move all grades online beyond the mandated 7-12.
As of right now, under orders from the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department, there are some exceptions with who can still learn in-person and how exams will go.
District leaders say they are ready to make this change as the holidays approach.
"I think that both our students and our staff are doing the best they can to prepare for the coming weeks of online instruction," said Maumee City Schools Superintendent Dr. Todd Cramer.
Dr. Cramer said he understands the changes and inconveniences and that removing everyone from buildings is for the health and safety of the community.
With a looming potential for the county to turn purple, Dr. Anstadt said it's going to take a miracle to return, and that people need to buckle down for the next few weeks.
"I really thought, right up until yesterday that maybe we could keep our Kindergarten through sixth grade kids in. That's really where we were headed. I think it's what's best for them, what's best for everyone to be in school," Dr. Anstadt said.
She agrees moving everyone out of the building is necessary, as districts continue to struggle with getting substitutes to fill in for quarantined or isolated teachers.