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I hope you have enjoyed the start of your summers and are getting some well-deserved rest and relaxation.

I have three items for you today.

1. The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority. Our hope is to have all students return to school in the fall. However, we will adhere to whatever health and safety requirements are prescribed by Summit County Public Health, the Ohio Department of Health, and Governor DeWine’s office. Because it may be some time before we know what those requirements may be, the district will be implementing the alternative COVID calendar for the 2020-21 school year. Implementing the alternative calendar will give us more time to plan and prepare for our return in the fall. The calendar is linked here: https://www.nordoniaschools.org/Downloads/2020-21-Calendar-COVID-VERSION.pdf
2. We know many Nordonia families will not be comfortable sending children back to school even if we are open. Accordingly, the district is developing a plan to accommodate those families and will send registration information for at-home learning at the same time we announce our plans for those returning to in-person classes in the fall. Families who select the stay-at-home option should expect us to accommodate you for the full school year. I expect it may be late July or early August before we have concrete plans for what the return to in-person classes will look like. Families who send their children back to school should expect the possibility of partial or full school closures throughout the year, as conditions change.
3. As we see the number COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge across some states, we are encouraging staff, parents, students, coaches and vendors to self-quarantine, not come onto school grounds and not participate in any school events for at least 14 days after returning from out-of-state travel, especially from states currently considered hotspots such as Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah and Texas. We are concerned an uptick of cases in Ohio will necessitate a further delay in our students returning to the classroom this fall. The list of hotspots changes frequently, so please see the CDC website for considerations for travelers in the U.S.: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-in-the-us.html

As you know, planning for educating children in this unusual time is a challenge. My leadership team and I thank you for your patience as we navigate these waters. Thanks for your continued support of the Nordonia Schools, and Go Knights!