AWLS Parent & Staff Communication - 1/15/2021
I would like to thank all of you for your work and collaboration with the District in the first semester of this school year. We understand that this year hasn’t been ideal, but we know that many positive things have happened because of the work we have done together to persevere through these challenging times. We look forward to getting our students back into the classrooms during the second semester!
Changes in Ohio Department of Health Regulations
You may have heard through the news a report that Governor DeWine shared during a press conference that under certain circumstances within the school, the physical distancing recommendations changed from six feet to three feet. I wanted to share the below graphic with you that provides a visual of some of the changes that the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) approved last week based on the Governor’s comments. Please understand the below guidelines were provided to us by the Lucas County Health Department.
*Thank you to Lori Williams for creating this graphic of these new changes.
Here are the new ODH regulations in regards to physical distancing and the requirements for quarantining after exposure to a positive person:
If a student/staff member is exposed to someone who is positive and is within three feet of that individual for a 15 minutes cumulative or more while at school, the exposed person would have to quarantine outside of school for up to 14 days.
If a student/staff member is exposed to someone at school who is positive and is between three to six feet for 15 minutes cumulative or more, and was wearing a mask, the exposed person will be in quarantine for up to 14 days, but would be allowed to return to school and ride the bus. The exposed person is expected to be in quarantine when he or she is not in school during the day.
The primary change made by the ODH is that a student or staff member that is exposed at school to a positive person between 3 to 6 feet still allows the person to attend school and ride the bus. Please understand that the physical distancing requirements for people to stay out of quarantine after exposure to a positive person remains six feet or more when at home, in public places, etc. Also, please know that the Lucas County Health Department has informed school districts that a student exposed to a positive person that is participating in athletics/extracurriculars and a student/staff member in the building without wearing his or her mask for some reason such as eating or drinking should quarantine outside of school for up to 14 days if the individual is exposed to a positive person within six feet for 15 minutes or more cumulative.
If you have questions about these changes, please contact Kevin Herman (kherman@anthonywayneschools.org) or Lori Williams (lwilliams@anthonywayneschools.org). If you have concerns about these changes please contact the Ohio Department of Health at 1-833-427-5634.
AWLS COVID-19 Data
The District has placed COVID-19 on the AWLS website for your review at: https://www.anthonywayneschools.org/Coronavirus. You can find this information by scrolling down to the chart that is located half way down the page. Each Friday, the District will update the data. With this information available at all times, I will not be sending you data updates each week.
If you would like to review Lucas County data, the health department shares this information through their website at https://lucascountyhealth.com/coronavirusupdates/
Northern Lakes League Athletic Conference
There were media reports earlier this week that many athletic conferences in Northwest Ohio may have member school districts leaving and going to other area athletic conferences or starting new ones. The Anthony Wayne Local Schools are committed to stay in the Northern Lakes League (NLL) with our current member school districts and understand there may need to be changes made to our current league. In an effort to provide competitive balance, the NLL will look to expand into two divisions that will be based on the student enrollment in each school. This possibility of expansion will look to add teams into each division to provide a competitive balance and strengthen the league for the future. The process to review this possibility will take place over the next several months. If the league does change, the changes will not take place until after the 2021-22 school year.
2021: Let’s make it an AWesome year!
There are many things to be thankful for as we start this new calendar year. As a school district, we continue to strive to find a balance between providing a safe environment for students and staff, the COVID-19 virus, and the need for students to be in the classrooms learning with their peers. There are many opinions on this topic that have been and continue to be expressed to school districts across this Nation. As we move into this new calendar year, I’m hopeful that we can continue to work together, respect each other's opinions, and know that we all have the same focus in mind- How can we provide the high quality education opportunities to our students in a safe environment for students and staff. All of us here at AWLS look forward to working with you in this new year!
Have an AWesome day and long weekend! Go Generals!!
Dr. Jim Fritz
Superintendent
COVID-19 Data Update
Click HERE to view the presentation.
School Meals Information
Athletics and Spectator Guidelines,
Due to the recent governor announcement regarding high school athletics and spectator guidelines, the AW Athletic Department will need to make adjustments to our attendance policy in order to follow OHSAA and ODH policy. With this policy, our capacity allowed at all athletic events has been dramatically decreased. While we understand many throughout our community would love to attend athletic events as they always have in the past; unfortunately given the times, this just will not be possible this season.
Effective for the 2020 Fall season (with a possibility to go to Winter and Spring) ALL tickets must be purchased online. There will be no cash ticket sales completed at Anthony Wayne. All ticket sales will be reserved for close family of the athlete and event participants. In addition, there will be a max number of tickets that can be ordered per purchase depending on the capacity of the event. There will be no ticket sales to the general public - nor will we sell any AW athletic passes, nor accept NLL passes, senior citizen passes or staff IDs.
Approximately 48 hours prior to an athletic event the head coach will send a pre-sale code to the parents of the athletes in that sport to purchase a ticket. After purchase, the ticket holder should bring their phone or paper ticket to the ticket booth to be scanned for entry. Each event will have a different passcode.
Last, we will be requiring masks for all spectators to wear for entry and throughout the event. All spectators are subject to a temperature screening upon entry and are asked to sit/stand socially distant from others.
Again, we recognize and are sensitive to the fact MANY General fans would like to be in attendance where you just simply can't. We appreciate your loyalty and dedication to AW Athletics. We look forward to passing on to everyone televised options, as well as potential athletic streaming options.
Click HERE to visit the Anthony Wayne Ticket Box Office.