Job Fair
AWLS Parent & Staff Communication - 9/10/21
District Enrollment
Each September, I provide an enrollment report to the Board of Education. We will post this enrollment report to the District website on Tuesday morning for everyone to review. Here are just some of the highlights:
- At this time, the District enrollment is 4440 which is up 15 students from last year, but down 98 students from September of 2019.
- The highest class enrollment is 379 students which is the 10th grade.
- The average enrollment per class is 338.
- The average enrollment in grades 5-12 is 344.
- The average enrollment in grades K-4 is 312. Over the last several years, we have seen this number lower than the 5-12 enrollment. Part of the reason is the birth rate has significantly dropped during this same time.
COVID-19 Data Update
I will present a detailed update to the Board of Education on Monday night. The presentation will be placed on the AW website on Monday afternoon. Below is a summary of the data in the presentation. Data from the CDC and TLCHD can be found on their websites.
Lucas County Data (Per CDC and TLCHD data as of 9/9/21):
- Community Transmission: High (categories include low, medium, substantial, and high)
- Positivity Rate over the last 7 days: 14.39% (2.27% increase over last 7 days)
- Percent vaccinated that are eligible: 56.6%
- Number of positive cases per day over the last 14 days: 128/day
- Positive case for ages 0-19 for the last three months:
- June ‘21: 31 cases which was ~15% of the overall cases
- July ‘21: 46 cases which was ~15% of the overall cases
- Aug. ‘21: 577 cases which was ~26% of the overall cases
AW Community Data Per Zip Code (Per TLCHD as of 9/9/21):
- 43537
- 134 positive cases in last 21 days
- 50 positive cases in last 7 days
- 67.67% vaccination rate
- 43566
- 64 positive cases in last 21 days
- 12 positive cases in last 7 days
- 67.84% vaccination rate
- 43571
- 34 positive cases in last 21 days
- 6 positive cases in last 7 days
- 62.51% vaccination rate
- 43542
- 32 positive cases in last 21 days
- 12 positive cases in last 7 days
- 64.59% vaccination rate
- 43522
- 13 positive cases in last 21 days
- 5 positive cases in last 7 days
- 22.92% vaccination rate
- 43551 (Wood County)
- 129 positive cases in last 14 days
- No other similar data reported
- AWLS Data (9/10/21):
- Student Positive Cases = 12
- Student Quarantines = 98
- Staff Positive Cases = 3
- Staff Quarantines = 0
Please remember that AWLS COVID-19 data can be found on the AWLS website at:
https://www.anthonywayneschools.org/Coronavirus
Community
Every school day, AW students and staff leave their homes and come to school. Thousands of students come to school each day with a variety of backgrounds and beliefs. They enter school buildings with their own past experiences. While each day can be different, the normal experience is that students are provided learning opportunities where they use their learner’s mindset to collaborate, communicate, be adaptable, be flexible, use critical thinking, and demonstrate empathy with those around them. In addition to the academic work, the staff and students do an outstanding job of working each day to develop positive relationships that provide a solid foundation for learning to take place. Yes, while there are bumps along the road of each school year, our students and staff do incredible work together. The result of what happens each and every day can be seen in the success of our current students and recent graduates.
In my position as superintendent, I am privileged to hear so many success stories about our students and our recent graduates. If you are interested in reading about the success of these current and former students, The Mirror newspaper is a good source of information. The paper has done a great job of highlighting our current students and our graduates that have found success in their chosen fields that include the trades, agriculture, military, and several degreed occupations.
Our students and staff continue to show resilience and hope that they can be successful through their collaborative work together. The District is thankful to the AW community for the support that is given to do this important work with our youth. Thank you! Go Generals!!
Dr. Jim Fritz
Superintendent
COVID-19 In person plan for 2021-22 school year- Updated 8/28/21
COVID-19 In-Person Plan for 2021-22
Anthony Wayne Local Schools
August 2021
*Update on 8/28/21
As we did in the 2020-21 school year, AWLS will continue to provide a safe learning environment for students and staff. The District will continue to monitor the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, Ohio Department of Health, and Lucas County Health Department COVID-19 recommendations and orders. The District has developed policies and procedures to address these recommendations and orders that will allow us to have in-person learning.
Safe for students.
Safe for staff.
Safe for our community.
We are on the same team! We are all Generals!
We must come together to provide a safe environment for the students and staff of Anthony Wayne Local Schools. In some cases, COVID-19 has brought us together as a nation; however, in other cases, it has created a large division in the ideology on how best to approach our “new normal” of living in a world with this virus. I’m hopeful that we can come together to provide a safe environment for all students to be present each day for the upcoming school year.
Overview
The COVID-19 virus has created a number of challenges for school districts across the world. In order to provide the safest environment possible for our students and staff, there is a need to have COVID-19 guidelines and requirements for this school year. The Anthony Wayne Local School District (AWLS) is committed to the following guiding principles as we plan to return to school:
- AWLS will make sure our schools are fully cleaned, disinfected and equipped to maintain safe conditions.
- AWLS will have a support system for students and staff as they participate in instruction and activities in the upcoming school year.
- AWLS will utilize a multi-layered deployment of personal safety measures to mitigate the transfer of the virus.
- AWLS will continue to work closely with the Lucas County Health Department to promote safety in each school building. In the event there is a confirmed case of COVID-19, the District will work with health officials to implement the appropriate steps as provided by the health department and notify students, staff, and parents as required.
Please know that we will continue to work with the local health department, the Ohio Department of Health, and other health organizations to review and modify our plans as needed. We understand that virus guidance may change from these organizations and our plans may need to be modified throughout the school year in order to accommodate these changes.
Recommendations from the Ohio Department of Health, Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Ohio High School Athletic Association:
The following are recent recommendations from the Ohio Department of Health and Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Vaccinations are highly recommended for students and staff that are eligible for the vaccine.
Vaccinations are highly recommended for students and staff that are not vaccinated. ● The CDC recommends that all students and staff wear masks while in school. ● The CDC requires by Federal order that all passengers and staff on a school bus wear a mask.
Daily symptoms checks are recommended for students and staff.
Good hygiene (washing hands, use of hand sanitizer, etc.) is recommended. ● The ODH has shared that the use of masks are “not necessary” when students and staff are outdoors, at recess, or engaging in physical activity.
2021-22 School Year Schedule
AWLS plans to have all students participate each day within an in-person learning schedule during the school year.
I want to assure you that the schedule options are based on the unique characteristics of the school district (i.e., size of classrooms, size of hallways and other building structures, geographical size of the district, etc.), the recommendations from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Ohio Department of Health (ODH), the Lucas County Health Department, and other medical/public health experts. In addition, all public school districts, when creating this plan, are required to follow the rules, regulations, and laws as created by local, state, and federal agencies. While there are many items to consider when creating this plan, safety of students and staff, the social-emotional state of students and staff, and the educational growth of our students are the top priorities.
During the All-In Schedule
- All students will be in attendance five days per week.
- All students and staff will follow enhanced hygiene and safety protocols including: face coverings are required indoors and recommended outdoors in crowded areas, frequent hand washing/use of hand sanitizer, covering mouth and nose when sneezing and coughing, staying home when ill for any reason or having a temperature at or above 100 degrees, or experiencing any symptoms of the COVID-19 virus.
- AWLS will strive to maintain social distancing in school buildings that is allowable by the specific building design and recommended by health agencies.
- The Operations Department will clean the school buildings each day utilizing the recommendations from the local and state health departments.
- Some school practices, such as lunches and classroom experiences, may be altered to promote student and staff safety.
- Junior High and High School athletics will proceed in accordance with recommendations from the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
- Students will have assigned seating in many locations as allowable by the activity. This procedure is necessary as the Ohio Department of Health and Lucas County Health Department will still require contact tracing in schools at this time.
Safety Precautions: Keeping students and staff safe
Protection of Staff and Students
According to the Cleveland Clinic’s Return to School Amid COVID-19 guide, “while no single personal protective equipment is 100% effective, when used together, they add layers of protection and support a culture of safety.” The primary layers of protection to provide a safe environment that will be used are handwashing/use of hand sanitizer, cleaning and disinfecting, physical distancing, temperature screening, use of masks as needed, and staying home when sick. As medical experts have shared, when we use these protective actions together, we minimize the risk of COVID-19 transmission. While there are several safety precautions the District will have in place, the below list provides answers of the frequently asked questions in this area.
Daily Symptom Assessments
- All staff will be asked to complete a daily temperature and COVID-19 symptoms check at home prior to coming to work or school.
- All parents/caregivers will be asked to assess students’ temperatures and complete a check for all COVID-19 symptoms at home before each school day.
- All individuals who do not meet the temperature assessment, temperature of less than 100F and/or COVID-19 symptoms, should STAY HOME. If a staff member experiences these symptoms and/or has an elevated temperature of 100F or higher while at school, he or she will go home and be referred to his or her physician. If a student experiences these symptoms and/or has an elevated temperature of 100F or higher while at school, he or she will go to the office first and then will go home and be referred to his or her physician.
Student/Staff Distancing throughout the school day
- Classroom occupancy will be determined based on the classroom size, school facilities, and building schedules. Physical distancing recommendations will be followed as dependent on the specific schedule and each building design.
- Principals will provide a procedure for spacing students apart during student arrival and dismissal.
- Students will be spaced out up to three feet of distance while in cafeterias. Specific information with regards to the cafeteria and food services will be provided by each building.
- Student restroom breaks will be staggered and monitored, the number of students in the restroom at one time will be limited.
- Student transitions may be limited during the school day. All students will enter the school building through specific entrances, will proceed to their assigned classroom, and sit in their assigned seats until their class begins. In some cases, students will stay in the classroom during instructional time and their teachers will rotate classrooms to deliver instruction without having students transition to another room. If students need to travel in a hallway, a building specific schedule will be in place to minimize student interactions and maintain physical distancing. At the end of the day, building specific procedures will be utilized to release students while maintaining physical distancing.
- Students will have more opportunities to go outside for classroom instruction when appropriate and weather permitting.
Masks
- Anthony Wayne Local Schools requires face coverings for all students, staff and visitors indoors on school property. According to the Federal CDC order, all individuals will wear masks on school buses/vans.
- Masks are not required outdoors, but are strongly recommended for large outdoor events.
- Mask breaks:
○ Each building should consider mask breaks throughout the day in settings where risk for transmission is lower.
○ Preferably, mask breaks would be held outdoors. If the weather doesn't permit it, indoor space should have good air circulation. Open windows or take breaks in large rooms.
○ People should be able to be consistently 6 feet apart, or 3 feet apart in a classroom setting.
○ Breaks should be short in duration if indoors.
○ When appropriate, teachers can take students outdoors for these breaks.
Other items related to masks
- Face masks shall not include respirators (unless required for medical reasons), masks designed to be worn for costume purposes, etc. All face coverings/masks shall meet the requirements of the Dress Code policy and/or Code of Conduct.
- Hand washing and use of hand sanitizer
- Students will have the opportunity to wash their hands throughout the school day and will have access to hand sanitizer.
- Students are encouraged to have personal hand sanitizer with them during the school day.
- Hand sanitizer will be available in several locations throughout the school building.
- Students will be asked to utilize hand sanitizer at various times during the school day including when getting on the school bus, entering a school building, prior to eating lunch, and returning into the building after being outside (i.e., recess).
Physical Distancing
- AWLS will strive to provide physical distancing of students as the facilities allow.
Cleaning of school facilities and buses
- Based on the recommendations from the Ohio Department of Health, AWLS will clean school facilities and buses. Operations staff schedules will be adjusted to maximize cleaning services in the District. The operations staff has coordinated plans to address commonly touched areas throughout each school day. Cleaning supplies will be in compliance with EPA requirements related to COVID-19.
Drinking Fountains
- Drinking fountains will be used per the recommendation from the local health department. Use of hands-free water bottle filling fountains will be permitted.