Oakwood Schools to start second semester with remote learning

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Credit: JIM NOELKER

Oakwood Schools announced Sunday evening the decision to go to remote learning following the holidays for two weeks.

District leaders said in a letter to parents the schools will be providing off-site instruction to students Jan. 4 through Jan. 14, with plans to return to face-to-face instruction Jan. 19, after the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

“Increases in the number of positive cases and quarantines across the state have proven to be somewhat predictable during the past 9 months. As after Memorial Day, July 4, Halloween and now Thanksgiving, there were notable upticks across the state, the county and here in Oakwood,” Superintendent Kyle Ramey said in a letter to families. “We believe because our District numbers tend to mirror those patterns, it is foreseeable the District will have another uptick in positive cases and quarantines after the Holiday Break as well.”

According to Ramey, the district intends to assist younger students with off-site instruction. Oakwood schools will be expanding their 1:1 program (one device to one student).

Chromebooks will arrive in classrooms this upcoming week and be sent home with students upon release for Holiday Break.

Students in kindergarten and first grade will be issued a new Chromebook to be used up to fourth grade, they will also be allowed to take the laptop home during summer and breaks. Families will pay a $20 per year technology fee for the devices.

“We wanted to let families know as soon as possible about this temporary change so you could plan accordingly for any issues this schedule may present,” Ramey said in the letter. “We fully understand and appreciate the difficulties this schedule may cause but believe in the value of making this change. We hope to start off-site, along with winter break, spring break and the beginning of the distribution of vaccines, will allow us to provide consistent learning during the second semester. We continue to strive to achieve our goal of providing face-to-face instruction for as long as we can, as safe as we can.”

Student’s teachers and principals will be communicating with parents and children regarding schedules and expectations for the two-week off-site instruction period.

“With the continued combined efforts of our students, families, teachers, nurses, support staff and our community, we can continue to provide outstanding educational experiences for all our students as we ride out this latest challenge. I am fully confident we can begin to see a light at the end of this tunnel,” Ramey said.

About the Author