Tusky Valley goes back to school by colors
Tusky Valley Superintendent Mark Murphy and his secretary Kara Ramsey sort the roughly 800 letters that the district sent to parents outlining the plans for going back to school.
Tuscarawas Valley Local School District comprises a high school and middle school in Zoarville, an intermediate school in Bolivar, and an elementary school in Mineral City.
The school district has posted a 30-page document on the district website that parents can refer to in order to plan for back to school.
“It’s anything and everything you want to know about our plans for going back to school, and we’re still making minor changes,” said Superintendent Mark Murphy, who is quick to point out that developing what they call the SafeStart plan has been a team effort involving teachers, guidance counselors, administrators and others.
In addition to outlining all of the variables in play and the plans the district has for going back to school, the SafeStart document also outlines the additional sanitization processes in place for school buildings.
In coming up with the SafeStart plan, Murphy and others have had to rely on information from many sources: the Department of Health, the Department of Education, the Centers for Disease Control and the board of education, along with guidelines from the local health department, the teachers’ union and parents, “and anyone who has sent me an email telling me what they’d like to see happen,” said Murphy.
It’s a complex and complicated puzzle with moving parts changing almost daily, and Murphy said the district has been very careful, deliberate and strategic in developing the SafeStart plan.
Understanding the code
Murphy said the SafeStart plan will follow Ohio’s color-coded COVID-19 advisory map and the color Tuscarawas County has been assigned when it’s time to return. The system consists of four levels that provide Ohioans with guidance as to the severity of the problem in the counties in which they live. Here is what the colors mean:
Yellow: Active exposure and spread — exercise a high degree of caution.
Orange: Increased exposure and spread — limit activities as much as possible.
Red: Very high exposure and spread — limit activities as much as possible.
Purple: Severe exposure and spread — only leave home for supplies and services.
Here is what those colors mean under the Tusky Valley SafeStart plan:
Yellow: Normal return of students to school every day, buses running as usual.
Orange and Red: Hybrid approach with students attending on some days and working by remote on other days. Students will be divided into two groups (A and B) and will attend on assigned days.
Purple: Full remote, meaning all students will work from home.
Under the hybrid plans, the district has worked hard to make sure students who are siblings will attend school in person on the same days — another multi-faceted puzzle that doesn’t end with just keeping the siblings attending together. Murphy provided this example.
“Let’s say a family has a high school, a middle school and an intermediate school child, for example,” Murphy said. “And the high-schooler is taking advanced placement classes, some of which are at Tusky Valley and some of which are at, say, Stark State. Their middle child may be on an Individualized Education Plan. Not only do we have to be sure those students attend on the same days, but we also have to make sure we have the right staff scheduled on the right days for each of those students.”
How are they doing it?
According to Murphy, “One by one by one.” He said deciding what plan to put in place according to the color code has been a difficult and laborious process.
“I don’t like anything we’re having to do right now,” Murphy said. “It’s not what’s best for kids, instructionally. However, I believe wholeheartedly in our plan because it has been given such great consideration and thought.”
How parents can simplify the code
On Aug. 3 the county was categorized as “orange,” so letters to every family in the district were mailed advising them as to what days their children would attend school and what days they would work remotely.
As of Aug. 10, the county was “yellow,” though, meaning all students go back as they normally would.
Come Aug. 24 when school is scheduled to resume, the county could be designated a different color entirely.
The best advice Murphy has for parents is to download the SafeStart plan a www.tvtrojans.org and pay attention to the announcements from Gov. DeWine’s office every Thursday. Murphy and others also regularly take to the Tusky Valley Trojans' YouTube channel to provide updates.
The rules on facial coverings
The state on Aug. 6 mandated facial coverings or face shields are required for all students k-12, as well as for all teachers, staff, bus drivers and administrators.
In a video update on the Tusky Valley Trojans' YouTube channel, Murphy said the school would take a common-sense approach to the facial-covering policy.
"Our goal is to equip students and staff with what they need. But we do not expect staff and students to wear a face covering 100% of the time at school. That is not feasible. In the real world, everyone who is wearing a mask takes a mask break. In our school environment, use myself as an example. When I am at my desk, not working with other people, I will probably not have a facial covering or face shield on. As soon as I get up from my desk and step into the hallway, step into a classroom, step into an office or the cafeteria, my mask will be on. As soon as my feet are moving, my mask will be on, and that is the expectation for students and staff," Murphy said.
In his weekly address on Thursday, Aug. 6, DeWine said for schools in Ohio that decide to go back, they need to require masks in order to have a “fighting chance” to stay open. “It is the unanimous verdict of every expert, every person in the medical field, that wearing masks provides added protection, along with the distancing,” DeWine said. “We have an obligation to let everybody know that this is the way to increase your odds of staying safe.”
How transportation will work
“Our hope is that our buses will run as normally as possible, and if we’re yellow and full capacity, that’s wonderful,” Murphy said. “If we’re on a hybrid plan, the buses will carry half the amount of students that they normally do.”
As an additional safety measure, Murphy said the district will consider eliminating the shuttles under the hybrid plan, meaning students will stay on the same bus until they get to their designated buildings, rather than switching to shuttle buses.
What about sports?
As of Aug. 6, the state was not requiring students to wear masks while participating in sports while practicing or playing, although DeWine said that was not a final decision or order. Again, according to Murphy, it’s all about practicality.
“Right now the guidelines say that while you’re playing, you don’t have to be distanced, but while you’re waiting, you do,” Murphy said. “The bottom line is that parents have to make decisions based on their own family needs and preferences. I understand how hard it is because I want our teams competing too.”
Options for parents
“We want every family to know that we’ve thought of them and their children and that we have provided options for them,” Murphy said. “It may not be enough options to meet everyone’s personal needs and beliefs, but it is our absolute best effort.”
One option for parents who do not wish to send their children back to school is the Trojan A+ Academy. This is a 100% online computer-instructed program. “It is not taught or monitored by Tusky Valley teachers,” Murphy said, although participation in the academy allows kids who are enrolled to remain students of the Tusky Valley school system.
“The work, the system and communications are monitored by Mr. Jim Linden, our site manager,” Murphy said. "He is not grading or teaching but monitoring, making sure that students have the assignments, the equipment needed and the accessibility they need to do the work."
The deadline for registering for this option, however, has passed.
Another option is for parents to seek another online school for their children.
Final thoughts
Murphy shared a concern. “What’s going to happen when the county’s largest employer reopens? What if teachers, bus drivers, administrators get sick? We could be in yellow, but I could not have enough staff to open the schools. The reality of what we’re dealing with may or may not match up with what’s happening with the county color code system. Yet it’s a good starting point.”
School at Tusky Valley will resume on Aug. 24 and will follow the appropriate plan as outlined in the SafeStart Plan. The document can be accessed and downloaded at www.tvtrojans.org. Parents also can tune into the Tusky Valley Channel on YouTube for updates from Murphy.