LIBERTY TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Butler County’s largest school system will close buildings to students Friday to practice keeping students learning from home should the coronavirus later force the schools to shut down, the Journal-News reports.
Officials from the 16,500-student Lakota Schools announced Monday the precautionary experiment that will have students learning and doing their instructional work from home Friday.
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“With the increasing number of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases being reported, we as a district must be prepared for the possibility of an extended closure initiated by either Lakota Local Schools or the Butler County Health Department,” said Lakota Superintendent Matt Miller in an announcement sent to school parents.
“Having plans in place to continue educating our students during an extended closure is of critical importance and part of our evolving district safety plans. Just as we practice drills in the event of a fire, tornado or lockdown, Lakota will conduct a remote education exercise. The purpose of this exercise is simply to practice remote learning in response to a potential long-term closure and then gather feedback from you and our staff to ultimately adjust our systems to accommodate meaningful learning without physically being at school.”
“On Friday, March 13, students at Lakota Local Schools will not report to school, but instead will continue their learning remotely from home. All Lakota staff will report to their buildings and use this day to reflect on what adjustments need to be made to allow for continued learning for all students during a possible extended closure.
“Students at our secondary buildings are already accustomed to this learning model through Canvas and their school-issued Chromebooks. For our elementary students and their families, where digital learning may not occur as regularly, we realize this may present a bit of a learning curve.
“By this Thursday, your child’s teacher will be sharing their resources for continued at-home learning during Friday’s exercise.
“While this is certainly a unique safety exercise, it is one that we believe is crucial for us to practice, given today’s environment.”
For more information and resources school parents are directed to the district’s website.
The Journal-News is media partner of WCPO 9 News.
