By Ashley McCarty

People’s Defender

Parents and students are preparing for the approaching school year, and as of now, it’s business as usual.

For the students of Manchester Local School District, classes are slated to begin Monday, Aug. 23.

“I am excited. We had our administrative meeting yesterday with the principals, and I spoke with the technology coordinator; as I expressed to them, maybe I’m the only one, but I am very excited about this school year. We’ve got an opportunity with a lot of different staff coming in. We’ve got opportunities with how we’re going to conduct the school year. I’m excited to see all the students,” said Superintendent Brian Rau.

Last year, he admits, was miserable. A fact he knows everyone can agree on.

“It just wasn’t conducive for anything that had any bearing on effective instruction for our students. Some excelled in some formats, but I think across the board, if nothing else, last year proved the importance of an actual teacher being in the classroom as opposed to remote or online. So, I am so excited about what the upcoming school year brings. Not just seeing the kids on a daily basis, not just seeing staff on a regular basis, but all of the things we have implemented for this school year. I’m ready to get going,” said Rau.

As the day of instruction draws near, districts make preparatory arrangements for sanitation and other transmission preventions.

“We’re going to handle it with the same attitude that we would handle anything else. Our top priority will be the safety and wellness of our students and staff. We’ve done some things on the sanitation and cleaning front that’s going to help the custodians and staff with how we conduct our protocols and daily operations. We’ve hired a full-time custodian. We did drop our part-time custodian, but we hired a full-time custodian. That will give us extra time in the classrooms. With our American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, we will be purchasing three Clorox misters and implementing one in each building,” said Rau.

T and F Signs in Maysville, Kentucky, will fabricate barriers for all student and teacher desks.

“There’s a lot of things that we are implementing this year that we did not implement last year. But again, it’s all in the name of getting the children back in school, which is where they need to be. In that regard, we’re not going to treat it differently. We’re going to follow guidelines set out by the CDC. That is what we intend to follow. I will be having that conversation with the board, but as of right now, I’ve talked to the administration and both unions, and we’re in agreement that we need to follow CDC guidelines. If you know about the CDC guidelines, there are several recommendations, not necessarily requirements. I intend to follow the recommendations,” said Rau.

Last year, MLSD chose to stagger the days students attended in-person traditional learning. Through the implementation of “Gold” and “Blue” groups, students attended either the first or second half of the week. On Wednesday, the district performed routine deep cleaning.

This year that will change as students attend five days a week.

“If I was to do everything all over again last year, I would make the same decision, because that’s what everybody felt was going to be best for our district. I supported that, and I still support that; however, I am ready to get the children back in school. The CDC, Governor Mike DeWine’s Office, the Ohio Department of Health, everybody agrees that children need to be back in school. So, the question is, how do we keep them in school? Well, just like some of the things we’re implementing, we’re going to do everything possible to keep everyone safe. That’s the best we can do,” said Rau.

Unlike last year, parents and students cannot opt for an online learning option.

“Our kids need to be here at school. We had a lot of issues with our online last year, that’s no secret. I’m not afraid to say it. We’re not online educators. We live in a synchronous environment. All of us here are brick and mortar professionals. When you switch to online — and I’m not referring to Google Classroom — or elongated remote learning, we’re not accustomed to that. Now, a lot of our teachers did very well with it, but we’re still not accustomed to it. The bottom line is we want our kids here. The research will tell you that a teacher in front of a student is the most effective and powerful resource that a student can have throughout their education career. That’s the philosophy we’re taking,” said Rau.

Rau hopes that this school year brings back an educational experience the students deserve.

“They deserve to be educated, they deserve to have a teacher facilitate their instruction and they deserve to be here in school. I’m optimistic this school year will bring exactly that. Hopefully, instruction will be where it has been. Not everything from the pandemic we’re just going to throw out. I think we’ve learned some different instructional strategies that may work with some students and some of our teachers will be implementing those in the classroom. So, we’re going to try to maintain some of the positive things from the pandemic when it comes to instruction,” said Rau.

As everyone strives for that sense of normalcy, Rau endeavors to take it further.

“Everybody says we want normalcy, and I’ve said that several times, too, but I’m going to take that one step further. I don’t want a normal school year — I want a better than normal school year. The kids deserve it, our families deserve it; our teachers deserve it. Everybody deserves a better than normal school year. We’ll see how it plays out, but I’m optimistic,” said Rau.

MLSD will have several new staff added to their repertoire of education.

“We’ve had a lot of changes occur with retirement, we’ve created four positions through ESSER funds; two early primary remediation teachers, we added a Junior High Language Arts Teacher and we’ve added a social-emotional counselor. We’ve added a vast array of staff. We’ve got individuals from all over the United States and northern Ohio. We’ve got brand new teachers fresh out of college, we’ve got brand new teachers with worldly experience and some veteran teachers. We have an incredible opportunity to instill their experiences into what we already have here at Manchester to create an overall better cultural experience for the staff and students. I’m really excited about the new staff coming in,” said Rau.

MLSD will also be participating in extensive dyslexia training for some of the elementary instructors.

“I’m just excited to get the kids back, and I hope the staff feels the same way. We still have challenges. Challenges are always going to occur every year regardless. I just hope and pray that our leaders do not politicize this pandemic and throw so many constraints on us as educators that we’re not able to do the job that we went to school to do. We’ll see how it plays out,” said Rau.

Rau is concerned with the ambiguity of medical opinions concerning COVID-19.

“This works, no it doesn’t, here’s the science — I went to school to be an educator. I’m not in the medical profession, and to my knowledge, I don’t know of any superintendent that is in the medical profession. We’re just asking for some guidance, and I hope that we get that. Not necessarily from the county, but from the state. We’re here to make educational decisions, not medical decisions. That’s professionally how I feel,” said Rau. With that being said, there is a tremendous opportunity, he implores.

“Children are going to be back in school, and I think the parents are going to be excited about that. Again, I just want to reiterate all of the safety measures we’re taking this year to ensure our children will remain in school. With that said, I wish all the other districts luck. I wish Ohio Valley the best this school year. Mr. [Richard] Seas and I have a great relationship, and I look forward to continuing those conversations, as well as with Mrs. [Amy] Mason at the Christian School. All of us here in Adams County have to stick together because we’re all in this together for Adams County. I’m looking forward to the school year,” said Rau.

For the largest district in the county, classes are expected to proceed in Adams County Ohio Valley on Wednesday, Aug. 18.

“I’m excited. We’re a people business, and we’ve hired in some new staff, which is always exciting. It brings new energy to the district and some new ideas. There are also some things that we started prior to the COVID-19 pandemic that we want to revisit. So, we’re excited. We want to get the kids back in here. People that I talk to, from administrators, teachers, to support staff are looking forward to getting the kids back in here. They’re looking forward to a sense of normalcy. I think we’re all looking for that right now. We’re a big part of this community, and we just want our kids back, to help them out and to educate them,” said Superintendent Richard Seas.

As was the routine last year, ACOVSD will continue its regulatory cleaning efforts.

“We have plans in place to address COVID-19. We’re going to do our regular cleaning; our part-time workers will come in first and second shifts to clean and focus on high-traffic touchpoints. Many of the processes that we used last year we are putting back into play. As you know, the masks are optional. People can wear a mask or not wear a mask if they choose to. As of right now, in terms of busing, masks are mandated through Sept. 13. I haven’t heard anymore and I’m not sure when we’ll get new guidance on that,” said Seas.

ACOVSD never deviated from the traditional in-person five days a week schedule for classes and will continue this year as normal.

“We were able to pick up 15 minutes. When the pandemic hit and we were trying to distance, we adopted dual routing. We’re maintaining that dual routing, and we were able to pick up 15 minutes for the elementary students. So, the school day doesn’t start at 9 a.m., it’ll start at 8:45 a.m. I so appreciate Melissa Baker and Tabby Carter in transportation. It’s a monumental feat what they did last year. We have over 40 routes, and they rerouted the entire district. Not only did they reroute it, but we went with some new software. Now we’re completely paperless,” said Seas.

ACOVSD will not offer an online option for grades kindergarten through six.

“Prescriptively, it may be used for a few students under certain circumstances. Last year, we offered virtual learning for all students, and it clearly did not work well. Particularly for the elementary population. I would argue that you have to have the right circumstances in order for virtual learning to work for any age. The discipline that it takes to sit there and work off of the computer is not the same as when you’re in a classroom with a teacher and aide and they’re prompting you. You get to work cooperatively and collaboratively. It’s not the same; it’s really tough,” said Seas. He appreciates what technology has done. If needed, the district could go one-to-one with every student.

“It can be blended into the classroom to enhance learning. But, our staff have prepared, and they’re ready to get our students back in here and get to work,” he said.

Seas wishes for this year to provide his students with one thing — hope.

“We talked about that in our administrative meeting. When you look at the world now as a whole it can be a little dismal. We bring hope to our students and our school community. I really do believe that. That is where the normalcy comes in. We want to educate a student, get them to stand on their own and offer them educational opportunities. We are a key part of Adams County. We have to bring our best. People are counting on us,” said Seas.

In the high school, the district has implemented and conducted in-service training on the Multi-tiered System of Support (MTSS). MTSS is a framework that helps educators provide academic and behavioral strategies for students with various needs.

“We have resources in Adams County that can help students with social-emotional learning. We have social-emotional learning issues throughout our district. We wanted to revisit how we approach some of those issues, specifically in the secondary world. Not that we’re discounting elementary, but we wanted to focus on the secondary world. A new feature to the district is our partnership with the Adams County Health Department. Danielle Poe is helping us coordinate efforts on what we’re doing with MTSS. With the help of Judge Brett Spencer and Dr. William Hablitzel, we were able to secure a contract with the University of Cincinnati for telepsychiatry and counseling. We will have on-site rooms to address some of those issues,” said Seas. He finds that exciting.

“The best thing that we can do is get these children in school. Right now, there is a lot of unknowns. What I do know is that on Aug. 18, those buses will roll. Students will have to wear a mask on those buses. In the buildings, masks are optional; we’ll offer a clean environment for them and our staff. I use the words “hope” and “normalcy.” We have to get these kids back in school and get to work. With everything else out there right now, it’s a little inundating. I think that routine and that normalcy will be beneficial, and I just pray that we’re able to do that. I hope people are able to find peace with everything that’s going on,” said Seas.

It’s a very difficult time for a lot of people, he said.

“But, I think we can be a big part of the solution in our school and communities just by getting these kids back to school. I would hate to see us not be able to do that. I’m confident that if we get these kids back here in buildings we can do good work. We all care about kids, and I can’t say enough about the work I’ve seen over the last six years. I certainly look forward to this coming year,” said Seas.

On Monday, Aug. 23, the Adams County Christian School will also resume classes.

“The Adams County Christian School is celebrating its 40th year this year so we are very excited to start this year. We have our highest enrollment since the early 2000s and we have more options to offer our students than ever,” said Administrator Amy Mason.

The ACCS will address COVID-19 similarly to how it did last year with the exception of returning to traditional classes and students will change from room to room.

“We had very limited issues last year and we have a full-time registered nurse from the health department who will help us orchestrate and work through any cases that we might have. We anticipate being in school five days a week and we are not offering remote learning as an option this year. We will work with students who are required to quarantine and help them to get caught up, but there will be no remote option for the whole school year,” said Mason. The decision will be left up to parents regarding masks and vaccinations.

“We are excited about the school year. We have added girl’s varsity volleyball this year, and we have also added a full-time Christian counselor that will be on-site every day to meet the mental health needs of our students. We saw a significant increase in mental health needs since the pandemic began and we want to make sure to address this moving forward,” said Mason.