COLUMBUS, Ohio — All students at Columbus City Schools will begin the 2020-2021 school year in a completely virtual learning environment, Superintendent/CEO Dr. Talisa Dixon announced Tuesday.
Instruction will begin on Sept. 8 for most schools and will remain all virtual through at least through October 27. For the district’s only year-round school, Woodcrest Elementary, virtual classes begin on July 29.
In June, Columbus City Schools announced a plan to have K-8 students attend in-person classes in a blended format, with high school students learning remotely. Dr. Dixon hinted earlier this month that those plans may need to change based on recommendations from Columbus Public Health.
CCS says officials within the district will continue to monitor the spread of the coronavirus in the area before determining when it is "safe and practical" to begin in-person learning experiences.
Complete details of CCS' plan this fall available below:
The District will continue to engage with families and staff and seek feedback throughout the first quarter of the year to make any necessary adjustments to learning environments.
What this means for:
Pre-K students:
- All Pre-Kindergarten (Pre-K or early childhood education) students will receive virtual instruction to start the school year.
- When CCS transitions to in-person learning environments, pre-K students will attend in a blended model with both in-person and virtual instruction.
Kindergarten through 8th-grade students:
- All Kindergarten through eighth-grade students will receive virtual instruction to start the school year.
- Families can choose between two types of virtual instruction: Remote learning using CCS curriculum or the CCS Digital Academy using self-paced Edgenuity curriculum. See the comparison box below.
- When CCS transitions to in-person learning environments, K-8 students who are in the remote learning option (NOT Digital Academy) will attend in a blended model with both in-person and virtual instruction. Digital Academy students would remain all virtual.
High school students (grades 9-12):
- All high school students (or students in grades 9-12) will receive virtual instruction to start the school year.
- Families can choose between two types of virtual instruction: Remote learning using CCS curriculum or the CCS Digital Academy using self-paced Apex Learning curriculum. See the comparison box below.
- When CCS transitions to in-person learning environments, high school students will either continue with virtual instruction or attend in a blended model pending the District’s decision on how best to safely reopen at that time. Digital Academy students would remain all virtual.
Breakfast and lunch for students:
- CCS will continue its grab-and-go meal sites for all students. The current sites will continue through the end of summer break.
- The District will determine a grab-and-go meal plan for the start of the school year.
Technology for students:
- Every CCS student who needs a computer will have access to their own device by the start of the school year.
- At its meeting Monday evening, Columbus City Council approved funding that will provide 20,000 new Chromebook computers for CCS students. We expect to have these devices in time for the start of the school year.
- CCS will also provide hotspot internet access devices to any family who needs one.
Other Ohio reopening plans:
More Coverage:
- Reopening Report Card: Cleveland Metropolitan School District works to close digital divide
- Reopening Report Card: How bussing will change as a result of the pandemic
- Reopening Report Card: What parents can do now to protect kids when schools reopen
- Reopening Report Card: Some local families with medically vulnerable children faced with tough decisions
- Reopening Report Card: 3News' Romney Smith examines the options Northeast Ohio school districts are exploring