So far, so good for Orange Schools’ return to full-day, in-person learning - cleveland.com

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PEPPER PIKE, Ohio -- The Orange School District is off to a good start in its return to full-day, in-person learning, building principals told the Orange Board of Education Monday (March 8).

March 1 marked the first time since March of last year that the district has offered a full-day, in-person instructional model.

The district had been in a hybrid model since Jan. 11. Prior to that, it had been in a fully remote model for most of the school year.

The fully remote model, which has been available to all students since August, continues to be an option.

Orange High School Principal Paul Lucas said 62 percent of students at that school have returned to full-day, in-person learning, with about 37 percent remaining fully remote.

“So far, so good,” he said. “Everything seems to be going well; no major concerns.

“We do have some kids who have (shifted to full remote). They started in person, but for one reason or another just didn’t feel comfortable, so we had a few of those and probably about the same amount going from remote to in-person.”

Lucas said the high school is somewhat different from the other two buildings, in that some students have been back in full-day, in-person learning since the second week of January. He noted that half of the students have alternated in-person learning with the other half since then.

“So our students have been somewhat used to a full day, whether they were remote or in person, but now everybody who is back is all-day,” he said.

March 1 was “definitely a bigger deal” than the return for students in January, Lucas said.

“It seemed like so many more kids, because we hadn’t seen that many at one time coming into the building,” he said. “So it’s great having them back in.”

Lucas said the high school has been emphasizing one-way traffic in the hallways.

“We weren’t enforcing it as much before, because the halls were pretty sparse,” he said. “We only had about 30 percent of the kids in the building at one time, so we weren’t as worried about it.

“We are enforcing it now, and the kids have been great about it.”

Many parents had expressed concerns about students eating lunch in the school cafeterias, especially at the elementary school level. But Lucas said it’s working out well so far at the high school.

“We did open the senior lounge,” he said. “We have plexiglass dividers at each seat, but at least it gives the seniors the opportunity to enjoy the senior lounge.”

‘Great to see the kids’

Brady Middle School Principal Brian Frank said about 78 percent of students there are attending in person and 22 percent are fully remote.

“We’ve had a good six days at Brady,” he said. “It’s great to see the kids in the classrooms and in the hallways.

“The kids have been amazing following our protocols,” he added. “I’d like to thank our staff for all their hard work in the preparation that went into making these first six days so successful.

“And the parents have been great, reading all of our communications and following the safety protocols and guidelines that we’ve put out there.”

Frank said the school is closely monitoring class sizes in terms of the spacing allowed between students’ desks.

“Whenever a child changes from remote to in-person, we give teachers a couple days’ notice,” he said. “So far, we are at more than 3 feet or more (between students) in all classes.”

The school’s morning drop-off and afternoon pickup are “going great,” Frank said, and lunch has gone “really seamlessly.”

“We have four kids at each table, with plexiglass dividers,” he said. “We have 6 feet between tables in the cafeteria.

“Students are also getting some time outdoors during the lunch period. We don’t have any equipment out there, but they are enjoying being outside, socializing and seeing one another.”

Moreland Hills Elementary School Principal Renee Tuttle said that school has about 80 percent of its students in-person and 20 percent still fully remote.

“Our kids have been phenomenal since coming back in, adhering to all the protocols,” she said.

Class sizes in kindergarten through grade five range from about 18 to 23 students, Tuttle said.

“We have plexiglass dividers at each one of the (student) work stations,” she said. “Students use their face masks, and hand-sanitizing stations are all over the place.

“The kids have been great about wearing the masks. We have masks available for those that might not be fitting quite well, but it’s been a non-issue for us at Moreland.”

The teachers have been creative in arranging their classrooms, Tuttle said.

“They’ve just done the best they could in keeping the distance with kids,” she said.

With regard to remote learning, teachers at the school have been “exceptionally flexible in terms of offering small-group instruction and some individualized instruction.

“It’s the same with in-person,” she said. “The stamina -- we were all exhausted after the first few days.”

Lunch periods begin at 10:55 a.m. and don’t end until 1:20 p.m., Tuttle said.

“We have two (students) at a table, with lots of space in between and plexiglass at each table,” she said. “Half eat in the café, and the other half in their classrooms.

“It’s been a little bit challenging at the start, with some of the kids learning that routine. We’re looking forward to the day when we can get them all back in the café.”

During recess, it’s been “such a pleasure to hear those little ones out there playing and laughing and giggling,” Tuttle said.

“Our kids run; they don’t stand around and congregate with one another,” she said. “They’re out and they are moving.

“They sanitize their hands before they go out, they play, and they sanitize again before they come in. It’s worked really well.”

‘Mask Up! Wash Up! Back Up!’

Superintendent Lynn Campbell spoke about the community-wide effort to remind people to “Mask Up! Wash Up! Back Up!” that has included flyers, posters, banners and a video featuring that slogan.

The video, which can be viewed on the district’s website, features photos of students around the campus on March 1 and was produced by the Orange Schools communications department. Campbell showed several minutes of it to the school board, which met in person at the Pepper Pike Learning Center.

“We just thank the community members for what everyone’s doing, stepping up, and there’s more to do,” he said. “We need to try to keep the (COVID-19) cases down as much as we can.”

The school district is a reflection of the community, Campbell said.

“When you look back at November, when cases were spiking, so were we,” he said. “And now that cases are diminishing, district cases are diminishing, as well.

“If we want to keep in-person learning all day long successfully, then the more we can all mask up, wash up and back up around campus, as well as off campus, the more success we’ll have.”

Bus driver terminated

In other action, the board approved Campbell’s recommendation to terminate the employment of Thomas Holschuh, a bus driver in the district, without discussion.

A document explaining the reason for Holschuh’s termination was made available only to the school board.

Retirements approved

The board also approved the retirements of Moreland Hills Elementary School staff members Maren Koepf and Maureen Tarulli, both effective July 1, and the resignation of Michael Brewer, assistant principal at the elementary school, effective July 31.

Koepf is a literary coach and Tarulli is an intervention specialist.

“Maren and Maureen have just been invaluable to our school district, and they will be terribly missed,” board member Beth Wilson-Fish said. “Good luck to both of them.”

The board’s next regular meeting will be at 6 p.m. March 29 at the Pepper Pike Learning Center.

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