Times Leader Staff Writer
Schools across the Ohio Valley have seen many changes in their curriculums this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with many moving to hybrid or remote plans due a rise in cases.
In July, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced state guidelines for returning to classrooms which included the Ohio Public Health Advisory System, a color-coded, county-by-county coronavirus alert system. The system is meant to notify residents of the state of spread in the community which areas may need to take additional precautions.
Additionally, state officials urged school staff, teachers and students to adorn facial coverings for in-class learning, social distance, vigilantly assess symptoms, provide hand sanitizer and thoroughly clean school spaces. However, specific details regarding staff and students re-entering the schools were left up to the local school districts.
Dec 17, 2020 It is good that negotiators for the Switzerland of Ohio school district and an employee group have come to agreement on a new contract. We hope it is fair to both school employees and taxpayers. But what is it? What are the provisions for school employees? How much will the contract cost taxpayers? Only a few people know because the proposal is being kept secret from the public. As we reported last week, officials of the Switzerland of Ohio Education Association had threatened to go on strike if the outlook for a new contract did not improve. Negotiations between bargaining teams from the SOEA and the board of education had been proceeding through a federally mediated process.