Masks mandated for K-12 students
Who knew masks could be so controversial? Apparently, Governor Mike DeWine did, as he originally recommended that students in grades three through 12 wear them before changing course last month to mandate facial coverings for K-12 students.

Citing their effectiveness in reducing the spread of COVID-19, the governor said, “The jury is back on the issue. There is broad, broad, broad consensus among experts in this country.”

Children with severe autism, extreme developmental delays and facial deformities that cause problems breathing are among the exceptions to the mandate.

The Ohio Emergency Management Agency will distribute two million masks – which are not KN-95 or KN-90 medical grade -- provided by the federal agency through Educational Service Centers.

Two legislators – Rep. Don Jones (R-Freeport) and Rep. Susan Manchester (R-Lakeview) have introduced legislation (H.B. 748) that would bar the Ohio Department of Health from issuing orders superseding local school decision-making during an epidemic-related emergency.

Governor okays fall sports
Governor Mike DeWine announced that the state will allow schools to proceed with fall sports – both contact and non-contact – and the Ohio High School Athletic Association has given the green light to schools to move contact fall sports to the spring.

Generally, spectators at athletic events will be limited to “people very close” to student athletes with local officials to determine specifics. Decisions regarding whether athletes must wear masks will also be made at the local level.

Gov. DeWine faced the difficult task of balancing students’ physical health and social-emotional wellbeing and could reverse his decision “if this goes the wrong way.”

Restart readiness assessments available
Ohio’s education community is taking the necessary steps to begin the 2020-2021 school year, facing extraordinary challenges planning academic instruction during the COVID pandemic. Since some students have missed academic instruction, it’s critically important that schools are able to benchmark progress reliably.

In additional to providing schools and districts with student readiness toolkits, the Ohio Department of Education, in conjunction with Cambium Assessment, Inc., is providing a suite of optional online assessments for educators to use in grades three through 12. The Restart Readiness Assessments, available for English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies, are designed to help identify student progress early and receive actionable performance data.

Learn more and access resources online at: Restart Readiness

Reset and restart addresses family engagement
Family engagement is a key strategy to enhancing student engagement and achievement, especially when learning remotely.

By ensuring families are receiving consistent communication, necessary supports for at-home learning and connections to key community partners, schools and districts can best support families’ unique needs during the re-opening of schools.

Access the Ohio Department of Education’s guide with resources, strategies and best practices in three areas of family engagement that are critical to student success -- communications; supporting learning at home; and, engaging strategic community partnership -- online at: Reset and Restart

Mental health resources available
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, families and students have experienced unprecedented changes in school and home life.

The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services has created a list of resources that school administrators, parents and caregivers, students and the public can use to find support and respond to mental health needs during these challenging times.

Learn more online at: Resources

Green Ribbon Schools application available Ohio is again taking part in the U.S. Department of Education’s Green Ribbon Schools program that recognizes buildings doing exemplary work to reduce environmental impact and costs, improve the health and wellness of students and staff, and provide effective environmental and sustainability education that incorporates STEM, civic skills and green career pathways. Ohio can nominate as many as four schools or districts for this national recognition. Applications are due Nov. 30. Learn more online at: Application

2020 ACT, SAT make up testing opportunities available Due to Ohio’s ordered school-building closure, some juniors were unable to participate in state-sponsored ACT and SAT tests in the spring of 2020. The Ohio Department of Education is making opportunities available for districts and schools to administer the ACT and SAT – available in paper format only -- to students who were unable to take the test in the spring. Changes to testing dates have been subject to change. Learn more online at: Opportunities

Attendance Playbook updated to address COVID-19 absences
To help educators respond to the challenges of COVID-19 and social unrest, FutureEd and Attendance Works have expanded their Attendance Playbook to include 26 strategies that address student chronic absence, divided into three tiers of intervention, including ways to adapt evidence-based practices when it is not possible to meet with students face-to-face.

The organizations acknowledge that educators face daunting challenges in ensuring students’ return to school in the fall – regardless of whether classes are held in person or online – and the frayed bonds between students and schools that impact attendance.

The Attendance Playbook offers ideas for how to encourage and track attendance during distance learning, and includes more than two dozen effective and readily scalable approaches to reducing chronic student absenteeism in the wake of COVID-19. Access the update playbook online at: Playbook

English, math student readiness toolkits available The Ohio Department of Education is providing a set of Student Readiness Toolkits for English language arts and mathematics to help educators reflect on their instructional practices and support them in determining each student’s acquisition and retention of important knowledge and skills.

The Student Readiness Toolkits include a variety of carefully selected resources designed to support educators in their efforts to identify any instructional gaps that may have occurred during remote learning and continue to support each student’s educational journey when schools reconvene.

The toolkits also include assessment literacy tools to help teachers understand and use varied assessments to inform instruction and evaluate and ensure students learning. Access the resources online at: Ed Connection

New CT guidance available
The Ohio Department of Education has developed guidelines to address the challenges faced by career-technical programs in providing high-quality educational opportunities during these challenging times. The information is intended to supplement the information provided by the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) in the Reset and Restart Education Planning Guide for Ohio Schools and Districts and the Ohio Department of Health’s Health and Prevention Guidelines. Learn more online at: CT Guidance

New industry recognized-credentials list available
The 2020-2021 list of industry-recognized credentials has been posted on the Ohio Department of Education’s website. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Paolo DeMaria, in close collaboration with the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, convenes an array of industry professionals to carefully and thoughtfully review all new industry-recognized credentials, adding to the state’s list as appropriate. Access the list online at: Credentials