Columbus City Schools announced it will continue with remote learning for most students through January 15. The district began a weeks-long process to bringing students back into the classroom with a blend of in-person and virtual learning on Monday.
The district is reversing course due to the recent spike in coronavirus cases in Franklin County, Columbus City Schools Dr. Talisa Dixon said in a letter on the district's website.
"The large number of factors impacting our planning and decision-making change on an almost daily basis," Dixon said. "As we learned last week, the most critical of those factors -- our local health data on COVID-19 -- is trending in the wrong direction."
The district plans on allowing small, specific student groups who require in-person instruction to take part in hybrid learning beginning November 2, Dixon said.
These groups include Career and Technical Education (CTE) students at Columbus Downtown High School and the Fort Hayes Career Center and special education students with specific complex needs in grades Pre-K to 12. Career and technical students will attend classes in-person two days a week and learn remotely the remaining three days a week.
Dixon said the district could identify additional student groups who would benefit from in-person hybrid learning.
The district will reevaluate plans to return to hybrid learning in December as the second half of the school year approaches in January, Dixon said.
Fall sports and extracurricular activities will continue, Dixon said. However for the upcoming winter sports season, Dixon wrote "we will evaluate these in-person activities to make a determination on how best to safely proceed this winter."
