Wednesday, March 11th, 2020
Dear London Families,
This letter is the second in the series of letters intended to inform London families regarding the district’s response to COVID19, the disease associated with the Coronavirus. The district remains in regular contact with the Madison County Public Health and is constantly reviewing guidance from the Ohio Department of Education, the Governor’s Office, and the Ohio Department of Health. Activities taken by the district are inline with this information and in an effort to support the general health of our students, staff, families, and community.
London has established a dedicated webpage, which recaps measures taken on campus and in the community. This is provided for your convenience and will be updated regularly. You can access the webpage here.
Possibility of Cancelling On Campus Instruction
As part of his remarks on March 10th, the Governor recommended all state universities move to online instruction for the next few weeks most of which have immediately suspended in person instruction. The Governor has made it very clear that this did not yet apply to K12 education, although he encouraged school districts to prepare for this scenario.
As part of our normal Board approved academic calendar, the district has already planned for eLearning days. At present, we have one remaining calamity day that may be utilized after which, students will be directed to complete lessons, which are posted online. You can find a link to these lessons here. The district will use our district communications tools (App, website, social media, Robocall, etc.) to share when/if lessons are assigned to students and when they may be due.
If the virus becomes prevalent in the county and Madison County Public Health/Ohio Department of Health/Madison Health supports a decision to close school for an extended period of time, we will consider closing.
LCS is currently planning other contingencies should a long term closure be necessary. We will communicate these contingencies when possible and appropriate. In order to ensure you are receiving the most up-to-date information, please download the district’s App, which is available through Google Play and the App store.
Large Gatherings
As part of his executive order, Governor Dewine recommended large gatherings of people from attending events including indoor sporting events. As a district we are evaluating our activities and will send out weekly updates on events. This will include events and extracurricular activities such as the Fine Arts Festival.
Those individuals who may be most at risk, particularly our older community members and those with prior health conditions, should strongly consider not attending district events for the time being.
Spring Sports
After consultation with our local Health Department and knowing that spring sports are held outside, our student athletes may continue to practice and plan to participate in softball, baseball, and track.
Special Events and Class Field Trips
The district is working quickly to communicate the status of future trips and off campus activities for students. The status of these events will be included in the weekly update.
Attendance
All routine student and staff attendance procedures are still in effect. However, if you believe you or your student have come in contact with a person infected with the COVID19, please contact the health department. Absences will still need to be documented with valid medical excuses.
I would like to thank our families and community for your continued support during this unique time in our history. Please continue to be responsible and calm, stay updated as this situation develops, and make decisions using facts from reliable sources. As mentioned, the district will continue to collaborate with local health care organizations on monitoring, communicating, and addressing the disease and the district’s response.
Be safe,
Dr. Lou Kramer
District Superintendent