Multiple school districts move to remote instruction for a week

Fairborn, West Carrollton, Northridge go fully remote; Valley Forge in Huber Heights announces remote learning,

Multiple school districts, including Fairborn, West Carrollton, Northridge and Huber Heights, have announced plans to go remote this week or announced plans to extend remote learning after COVID-19 cases continue to rise among staff and students.

The remote learning days are expected to end by next week, according to the districts. Most districts said remote learning would occur for a few days.

Many districts cited a rise in COVID-19 cases that caused a staffing shortage or a “rise in illness” among both students and staff.

Fairborn said learning will be remote on both Thursday and Friday and West Carrollton announced plans for remote learning on Thursday.

“The school district recognizes that this decision presents a hardship to families who require childcare and is providing this information as early as possible to allow families to make plans for Thursday,” Janine Corbett, a spokeswoman for West Carrollton schools, said in an email to families.

Pam Gayheart, a spokeswoman for Fairborn schools, said the reason the district is not sending students home until later in the week is because the district needed an additional day to prepare the food that students will be able to bring home with them on Thursday and Friday. Gayheart noted the entire district qualifies for free breakfast and free lunch programs and many families rely on those meals.

Northridge schools also announced the district would extend remote learning through Thursday. School will not be in session on both Friday and Monday, Northridge said in a Facebook post to parents, as Friday is a teacher work day and Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Northridge has conducted remote learning for the last week and planned to come back to in-person learning on Tuesday.

Valley Forge Elementary School in Huber Heights will also be conducting remote learning this week. Huber Heights superintendent Mario Basora said in a letter to parents that the district would conduct remote learning through Friday and expects to be back in school the day after Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is next Monday.

The districts noted individual plans to get students classwork, but most districts said teachers will work with Google Classroom or will be sending packets home with students. West Carrollton schools said students will not need computer access to complete schoolwork. Valley Forge in Huber Heights sent students home with school-issued Chromebooks.

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