TEXT MESSAGE: IMPORTANT: Please check your SchoolMessenger email for school opening plan updates that take

effect
tomorrow, Friday, August 20.

August 19, 2021

Parents, Students, Staff and Community Members,

I hope this email finds you doing well. This past June I shared that last school year was
comparable to a roller coaster ride going up and down and at times turning us all upside
down. I am writing to you today because it appears just when we thought we had the
end in sight, we once again are being turned sideways. Since my last communication
with you, we have seen an increase in the number of positive COVID cases in our
community, and because of this shift, it would be irresponsible not to revisit our
reopening plans.

Let me be clear. I am not a health official, a politician, a lawyer, or a medical

doctor. We have high-level elected officials who have passed their responsibilities
down to me, and as superintendent, I am charged with leading the district and making
critical decisions regarding the education, health, and well-being of all our students and
staff. While I value allowing individual choice, the board of education and I have
remained committed to following the data and making decisions we believe are in the
best interest of our students based on school district, local, regional, and state data
trends.

Consequently, in an effort to reduce the likelihood that students will need to miss school
due to quarantine, we have reached a point where we will need to begin the school
year (on Friday, August 20) with students and staff wearing a mask/face covering while
indoors. Doing so will result in significantly fewer quarantines and provide an extra
layer of protection. Masks will be mandated while in our school buildings, facilities, and
buses, regardless of vaccination status. Masks, in addition to our other health and
safety protocols, will remain in place beginning tomorrow and until further
notice. Exceptions may be made on occasion such as when students can space 6 feet
apart for an activity or lesson, or for staff when they can maintain 6 feet of space during
instruction. We are hopeful that we will reach a point in the near future when we can
return to having masks optional and not mandated.

Wearing a mask while indoors will apply to all buildings, indoor events, and activities
until further notice. With respect to outdoor events and activities, we will continue to
promote distancing, hand hygiene, and sanitation at all times, but masks/face coverings
will not be required. Event capacity limits are not impacted by this announcement.

Implementing this practice aligns with our district priorities and goals of ensuring that
students can remain in our classrooms and participate in activities and athletics since
there will be fewer required quarantines by the Toledo Lucas County Health Department
and it creates a continuity of education that would otherwise be difficult to achieve if we
have a mask optional environment.

Please know this decision was not an easy one. I know we have parents, students,
staff, and community members who have strong beliefs about wearing or not wearing a
mask/face covering. In the end, it is my responsibility to examine the data, qualitative
and quantitative, and make a decision. I ask that once again, you are respectful of this
decision, regardless of your personal feelings.