For first time in pandemic, Oberlin students will learn in person

OBERLIN — Most students haven't stepped foot inside Oberlin's public schools since last March. Cautious during the COVID-19 pandemic, the district is among the very last in Lorain County to be fully online. Classrooms are set to light up again Tuesday, Jan. 19. But with just a week remaining until a hybrid learning model begins, Oberlin Schools officials are still hammering out the details of a soft open. "Teachers are eager to have kids back. They're ready to go," said Superintendent David Hall — they just don't have the final word on how many days students will attend in person each week. That decision is expected at or following a Tuesday-night meeting of the Oberlin Board of Education. Those logistics haven't stopped educators from readying their dormant buildings. Principal Chris Frank said Oberlin High School has been prepared for one-way hallway traffic and assigned seating to ensure social distancing, and plumbing checked to make sure it's in working order. "We have been talking about this and planning for this since June, July," he said in a phone call Monday, talking about tentative restart plans. "There's going to be little things that happen that we'll manage on the fly. That's fine — that's just how life works in a pandemic." Hall and Frank said the results of a parent survey were being compiled over the weekend and would be used to make final decisions on how Oberlin's hybrid learning model will work. Students won't attend four or five days a week at first, Hall said, and there will probably be more in-person hours for younger students. The most recent draft of the Oberlin Schools plan calls for grades three to 12 to attend just one or two days each week to start, Hall said. He wants to gradually work children back into the classroom as COVID-19 vaccines become more readily available this spring. There will still be a fully online option for families that are uncomfortable with the risk of attending in person, Hall said. But for most kids, he said the benefits of being in class outweigh the risks of both the virus and a decline in academic performance and engagement that Oberlin teachers have tracked in recent months. Students "need social interaction along with academic interaction. That's critical," Hall said. "They need the skills of working with others in person. Having that piece makes them better students and better people." Frank also noted "computer fatigue" that's set in after months of online learning. "There's a social, emotional aspect of school," he said. "Having kids in school is so much more than the academic pieces. It's about creating young adults who are going to be caring and productive." Many parents have been struggling with their new roles as at-home teachers since last March, Hall said. They're doing their best, but he said kids need the benefit of licensed teachers, most of whom have decades of experience. Oberlin is one of several school districts making changes this month. After rising COVID-19 case counts pushed the Lorain County JVS completely online in the fall, the building will return to its previous hybrid model Jan. 19. Not all classes there will be in person, but Superintendent Glenn Faircloth said last month that vocational students need to get into labs and have hands-on experience to be certified in their fields. If the virus starts to spread out of control again and the county alert level rises from red back to purple, both Oberlin and the JVS are prepared to pump the brakes, their superintendents said. Vermilion also cautiously started the fall semester online and gradually eased into hybrid learning. Then a COVID-19 spike forced students back online in November. The district will go through another evolution Jan. 19 at the start of the second semester, with students fully in person. An online option will still be available to those who want it. Like Oberlin, Lorain Schools are also now transitioning from fully remote learning to a hybrid model. That started Monday with preschool through eighth grade students attending half-days twice per week. Lorain High School will follow Jan. 19. Elyria Schools will start the second semester Jan. 23, but have not yet announced detailed plans. Although Superintendent Ann Schloss has said it is her hope to be in-person five days a week, the district is monitoring COVID-19 numbers and vaccine news to make a final decision. Contact Jason Hawk at (440) 329-7122 or news@lcnewspapers.com. Reporter Laina Yost contributed to this story.