SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE

SUPERINTENDENT MESSAGE

November 20, 2020

Today, I participated in a public awareness video focused on keeping Warren County open. Participants are asking all of Warren County to make a “Personal Commitment to Keep our Community Safe and Open.” Contributions to the video were made by Governor DeWine, Senator Wilson, Warren County School Superintendents, The Golden Lamb, Dorothy Lane Market, Springboro Chamber of Commerce, Atrium Medical Center, West Chester Hospital, Mason Manor House, Sonder Brewing, Kala Coffee, and the Warren County Health Department.

All of these entities and individuals are asking for a personal commitment to keeping our community safe; that means wearing a face mask, washing our hands, and maintaining safe social distance.

It’s time to STEP UP!

Understandably, we all miss being with friends and family. We miss “normal.” However, we are in a critical stage of fighting against the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. Our school staff continues to work hard each and every day to create a safe and healthy environment for our students. We know how important it is to stay open, and that only happens if we ALL do our part in keeping our schools and community safe.

Extensive data confirms that K-12 schools can operate with face-to-face learning and they can do it safely and they can do it responsibly. The infections we have identified in our schools, when they have been evaluated, were not acquired in schools. They were acquired in the community and the household. Yet those positives lead to large numbers of quarantines at school.

The environment in our schools and the school personnel provide students a sense of security and stability. The structure and safety of schools play an integral role in student health. The needs of our students must be balanced, as well as our teachers and staff need to feel safe when coming into our schools. Communities must do what is needed to minimize community spread. We must use masks and we must enforce social distancing at all times.

As a school, we must employ creative and innovative ways to limit the number of children in a building at any given time. There are tools we have and we must continue to use them to keep our schools open.

There has been dialogue about halting athletics until January between the Superintendents of the Southwestern Buckeye League. This is not a discussion any of us want to have, but the number of winter sports teams quarantined in the area is concerning. Currently, our own Varsity Boys Basketball Team is quarantined and their season is on hold. The Girls Varsity Basketball Team was scheduled to play against state power Minster in a showcase event at Lakota West this weekend. Unfortunately the entire three-day event, with teams coming in from all over, was postponed.

Right now, we are at the highest number of quarantined students in our school district since COVID started. We are getting into a critical period. It is important that we keep our schools open for face-to-face instruction, but it is becoming more and more of a challenge.

It is imperative that we all STEP UP and follow recommendations from medical officials and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Please do your part to reduce the cases in our community.