Lorain Schools opts for remote learning leading up to Thanksgiving break

LORAIN — Lorain Schools is giving staff and students a reprieve ahead of Thanksgiving, trading in-person learning for remote, asynchronous lessons Nov. 22 and 23. Students will need to log into Google Classroom from home to complete assigned work on their own time those two days, according to a news release from the district. The switch from regular class to online is in recognition of the high mental and emotional toll the pandemic has had on staff and students, CEO Jeff Graham said. "There was a big story the Columbus City Schools did this and it went out probably three, four weeks ago where they decided to go ahead and do it," Graham said. "People were saying 'Jeff, are we going to do this?' And I said I am not there — for me at the time there was no chance. But as time went on, it's just obvious our folks aren't OK. We have great people who, things coming out of the pandemic I underestimated the level of struggle and challenge and stress that are on our adults, as well as our children." Those pandemic impacts include staff shortages due to COVID-19 symptoms or quarantines, which leave others to pick up the slack. "Everything is just exhausting right now and people are emotionally exhausted and a lot of that is because they're trying to meet the needs of everyone," he said. Staff will still be paid at their regular rates for the two asynchronous days, he said. The change received positive feedback from staff and unions, he said. Lorain Schools is a one-to-one district, providing students with chromebooks and internet access for those in need. He said the process will be the same as what students experienced on Wednesdays last school year when the district was hybrid, alternating groups of students between in-person and online learning. He compared it to running a marathon — if a runner's heartbeat goes below 150 BPM, they're not working hard enough, but if it goes above 160, they've got to slow down, he said. "We're seeing it in a variety of ways in our schools and our folks need to take a deep breath," he said. The district is talking to partners like The Boys and Girls Clubs to provide potential child care options for working families. Meals for the two asynchronous days will be available for pickup 4 to 6 p.m. Nov. 22 at the three middle schools. Signups for meal distribution are available on the district's website. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.