As the school year quickly approaches, district leaders have to make tough decisions while students anxiously get ready.
Leah Tadese and Jaden Lumpkins are going to be seniors this year. They said that they are feeling many emotions.
“I’m both excited and nervous because of the uncertainty due to COVID-19 and although I will be missing my friends and teachers, I think that the best bet for us is to have an online learning experience,” Tadese said.
Lumpkins said she feels the same way.
“I’m excited and a little nervous I guess. I didn’t expect that I’d be doing senior year online obviously so it’s going to be a big change but I think that everyone is working is really hard to make it as normal as possible,” Lumpkins said.
The girls said senior year is something that is looked forward to for years and now it’s going to be completely different. They’re sad they’re going to miss a lot of senior activities and events.
“I think the thing I’ll miss most is probably just the school spirit. I know senior year we have pep rallies, prom and football games and we’re kind of missing that and also being the oldest in the school building you kind of get to mentor the younger kids and that’s not something that’s really going to be able to happen,” Lumpkins said.
As for virtual learning, they said they are a bit nervous but know it’ll be a personal responsibility to get work done.
“I’m taking a lot of AP and honors classes and it would be beneficial for me to go back, however, I understand that due to COVID-19, that’s just not the safest option,” Tadese said.
The district is following recommendations from Franklin County Public Health. The students will be starting distance learning on August 24.
No sooner than September 18 will the district decide if they will switch to Hybrid learning.
District leaders told us that will depend on county alert level, positivity rates and a decline in cases.
If they are able to switch to Hybrid learning with approval from Franklin County Public Health, a three-week transition to Hybrid will begin the week of September 28.
From August 17-21, teachers and staff will be attending professional development and training.
“I know it’s a tough decision because a lot of parents are really pushing for us to go back, but I think the safest option is for us to stay home,” Lumpkins said.
The seniors said for the upcoming freshman it may already be nerve-wracking starting high school, let alone without COVID-19 changes. Their advice is to reach out to others for support and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
“Make sure you have a strong schedule and as long as you plan things in advance and study very hard for your tests, then you’ll be able to succeed in your classes,” Tadese said.
We reached out to Superintendent, Dr. Kimberly Pietsch Miller, and received a statement about their decisions:
The Bexley Back to School Plan and Appendix voted on by the Bexley Board of Education were the culmination of dedicated and diligent work by the Bexley City Schools Reopening Task Force, the Bexley Education Association, and local public health officials.
I recommended to the Bexley City Schools Board of Education that Bexley City Schools should begin the school year with full distance learning. This was not an easy decision. However, Franklin County Public Health and Columbus Public Health have advised, based upon the case counts, positivity rates, and trend data, schools should open the year with all students in distance learning.
We want to bring all of our students back in-person as soon as possible; that remains our goal. In-person classroom instruction is critically important to student development. We are committed to doing this in the safest way possible for all. We know that this isn’t what parents, students, teachers, or administrators want school to look like this year - this is temporary. We are looking forward to the day we can safely be back in our classrooms and school buildings and hope it will be soon.
I believe the best option for our staff and students is to use the remaining time we have before the start of the school year on August 24 to go full force on developing an even more robust and engaging learning experience online.
The district will continue to closely monitor the virus in our community, as we may be able to move to hybrid or all-in learning later this school year. We will continue to make all decisions with the guidance of public health experts and with the expectation of a quality learning experience for each student.
- Dr. Kimberly Pietsch Miller, Superintendent