FR school plan updated

FORT RECOVERY — Face coverings will be required at school, but that rule will be flexible.

Fort Recovery Local Schools’ district leadership team hosted a Facebook Live session Friday, detailing updates to the “ReFortification” COVID-19 plan for the 2020-21 school year that is slated to start Aug. 25.

Students in all grade levels are required to wear face coverings to school, as stated in the order issued by Gov. Mike DeWine. High school principal Tony Stahl clarified, as per the Ohio written order, “a facial covering is any material that covers an individual’s nose, mouth and chin.”

Teachers will be wearing face shields, masks or neck gaiters. Superintendent Larry Brown said the district received about 1,200 masks to give to students who request them, but he cautioned those masks may not be the right size for all ages.

High school teacher Brad Evers said there will be flexibility in the times and locations face coverings are required, based on whether social distancing can be maintained.

“Maybe (it) will give us a little time to breathe once and a while,” Evers said.

Students will be given “mask breaks.” They will be allowed to remove their face coverings in physical education classes, in designated areas in the classroom and at the bus stop. They will also be allowed to remove their face coverings while social distancing during lunch, recess and outdoor learning situations.

Middle school language arts teacher Jessica Jutte used reading outdoors during nice weather as an example for when students “can take a break from masks.”

For parents who are not comfortable sending their child to school, the Fort Recovery Virtual Academy is available online through the Northwest Ohio Virtual Academy. Students enrolled in the virtual academy will still be considered Fort Recovery students, meaning they will have a teacher’s support and be provided curriculum.

Middle school principal Ryan Steinbrunner noted it is a year-long commitment and cannot be canceled or changed. For more information and to apply, visit fortrecoveryschools.org/FRVirtualAcademy.aspx.



High school

Students will pick up schedules and computers Tuesday and Wednesday. They are scheduled by alphabetized time frames, with sophomores, juniors and seniors slotted for Tuesday and freshmen for Wednesday. The school website news tab has a downloadable PDF which lists specific time frames.

Freshman orientation will not be held in person this year. Instead, freshmen will receive an informational packet Wednesday. High school administration will also post videos to the website and meet with students in small groups during the first few days of school.

Open house will be from 3:30 to 7 p.m. Aug. 24 for students to find their lockers and classrooms. Staff will be present to help with any questions.



Middle school

All newsletters will be sent electronically. Schedule pick-up for middle school students is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday. Open house will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Aug. 24. After the first day of school Aug. 25, there will be a parent meeting at 6 p.m. in the auditeria.

The doors will remain locked until 8 a.m. every day, Jutte noted. Students will then be expected to grab their materials and head straight to first period. She said they want to keep things as normal as possible and encourage students to talk during lunchtime at spaced out tables. The administration is looking into finding outdoor tables for lunch.

“We just feel like, as teachers, the face-to-face instruction is what’s best for kids, so we’re trying everything in our power to make that happen for you,” she said.



Elementary school

Open house for kindergarten through fifth grade will be from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 24. Preschool students will have their open house Aug. 27, with the time to be scheduled soon by teachers Mary Diller and Melissa Homan.

Students in preschool through fifth grade will not be disciplined for taking off their face covering, teacher Jamie Albers said. They will also wash their hands frequently. She asked parents to send a refillable water bottle with their child because the water fountains will be closed.

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Fort Recovery Local Schools wants students back in school and participating in school activities, said Steinbrunner.

“So help us keep the district out of another long-term emergency remote learning situation by doing your part to keep everyone safe,” he said.

All schools will be flexible with attendance, Stahl explained, and the district will not give attendance awards this year.

Brown noted there is “constant dialogue” happening between Mercer County superintendents and the health district. He asked parents to keep the district informed if their child is sick. He also asked community members to follow safety protocols at the open houses next week to encourage good habits for the school year.

The district also announced earlier in the day the eighth and ninth grade field trip to Washington, D.C., has been canceled because most of the tour stops have been closed in response to COVID-19. Brown said refunds for students who did not purchase insurance for the trip will be discussed at the school board meeting Monday.