In his press conference on August 11, Governor Mike DeWine continued to stress the importance of masks, social distancing, and proper hygiene as Ohio’s school students approach the start of the upcoming school year.
“I have every confidence that Ohio’s schools will do everything they can to keep children safe, but any spread happening in the broader community will, without a doubt, be reflected in Ohio’s classrooms,” said Gov. DeWine. “If we want our kids to go to school in person, to play sports, to be in extracurricular activities – it’s up to all of us to cut down the spread in our communities.”
Currently, Ohio has left the decision to individual school districts on how to approach the new school year.
According to information gathered by the Ohio Department of Education, 325 public school districts in Ohio are planning to return to school full-time which equates to approximately 590,000 students. A total of 55 districts representing approximately 398,000 public school students will begin the school year remotely. Approximately 380,000 students in 154 public school districts will start the school year with a hybrid of online and in-person learning. Information on 78 public school distracts was not readily available.