New Lebanon Local School District will begin 5 day per week instruction for in-person learners beginning Monday, October 19th, 2020. New Lebanon School District started the school year using a hybrid model to provide important in-person instruction with fewer students in the building to implement and monitor health protocols. The decision to expand in-person instruction is based on a review of data from the Montgomery County Health Department as well as data from our schools and nearby schools. Though Montgomery County is designated as level 3 (trending toward level 2), 77% of the cases in the Montgomery County data are related to the University of Dayton. Zip code information for Montgomery County indicates that the infection rate in the western section of the county is significantly lower than other parts of Montgomery County. Additionally, the COVID 19 data from a number of Montgomery County Schools, including some that have returned to 5 days a week instruction, indicate that it is possible to return to a more typical school setting with precautions in place. Because some Dixie students and families have health circumstances that place them at higher risk if they were to contract COVID 19, the full remote option for learning will remain in place for New Lebanon students by request. At this time, all masking and sanitizing procedures will remain in place. We anticipate that social distancing will average from 3 feet to 6 feet (or more) in most school settings--similar to schools in our area that have returned to full-time, in-person instruction. If a student or staff member tests positive COVID 19 in the 5-day model, we do anticipate that more individuals will be subject to quarantine than in the hybrid model (guideline for quarantine: within 6 ft for 15 minutes or longer). It is extremely important that students, staff and families continue symptom checks, masking, hand washing and social distancing outside of school in addition to routines in school. Seating charts will be maintained for all school settings for accurate contact tracing as necessary. Considerations for Families For those who wish to change their child’s educational model for Quarter 2 (from in-person learning to full-remote or from full-remote to in-person learning), a request form will be available on the website next week. The application will ask you for your decision and some supporting information. Requests for a different learning model will be due by October 7th. Those who wish to remain in their current learning option (full-remote or in-person--which will now be 5 days-) do not need to fill out a change request. Students may not switch from one model to the other during a quarter. The student must remain in the in-person or the full-remote model selected until the beginning of the next quarter. Students who are on full-remote instruction complete coursework through online instructional software-- Edmentum/Plato for grades 7 through 12; SchoolsPLP for grades K-6. The lessons are rigorous and guided by the software; live teachers do not guide the lessons. Dixie Staff members monitor student progress and are available for tutoring through teleconferencing or in-person appointments. Things to consider for full, in-person learning:
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