Lorain County moves to red alert, little changes in school plans

Little is changing for students returning to school in the coming weeks, despite Lorain County returning to red alert for its COVID-19 cases. Amherst, Avon, Avon Lake and Clearview schools are set to return to school this month — with all offering at least some in-person classes, be it a hybrid or five days with a fully remote option. In a video update posted Thursday evening, Avon Superintendent Mike Laub said going to "red" does not mean Avon students will move immediately online. He said administrators need to understand why the county went red, and what that means for the city of Avon. Superintendents were told there was a spike in cases about a week ago, but the rate has leveled off since then, he said. He, along with Avon Lake Superintendent Bob Scott did not anticipate changes to their plans as of Thursday evening. Scott said local superintendents have a meeting with Lorain County Public Health Commissioner David Covell this morning to discuss the data that led to the level increase. Firelands Schools posted a similar update to its Facebook Page Thursday. At this time, it has no plans to change its model, with is a five-day in-person return with an online-only option. "This is not our first time being labeled as 'red' and it may happen again in the future," it wrote. "We understand that there was a spike in cases last week that raised our level, but new cases have fortunately flattened over the past several days." Elyria Schools Superintendent Ann Schloss pointed to the district's reopening plan, which notes it will not switch to fully remote until the county is in a purple designation. While still red, it will continue its hybrid model with half of its students attending in-person classes Monday and Tuesday, the other half attending in-person Thursday and Friday. Lorain Schools Lorain's plan has also stayed the same, albeit a fully remote start for the first nine weeks compared to other district's in-person options. In a news release sent out Thursday, it reiterated plans to cancel fall contact sports — football, soccer, volleyball, marching band and cheerleading. On Tuesday, Gov. Mike DeWine signed an order allowing all fall sports to move forward in the fall, but those districts choosing to cancel can have their seasons in the spring. The order has sparked questions from parents, some of whom plan to speak at a Board of Education meeting Monday — but Lorain Schools CEO Jeff Graham stands by his decision. "I understand it is an awful thing for many of our student athletes to know they won't be playing this fall," he said in a news release. "I've looked at this issue from every angle, and unfortunately, there is no decision I can make that doesn't hurt kids." Lorain Schools is the only public school district in the county that has yet to release a finalized plan for returning to school. Initially, that plan was slated to be released Thursday, but has been moved to next week to allow for a joint meeting with the Board of Education and Academic Distress Commission. Contact Carissa Woytach at 329-7254 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.