Dear Upper Arlington families,
I hope that you and your family were able to relax and enjoy some special time together during winter break. We are excited to welcome students back to school tomorrow.
As we prepare for classes to resume, we are also closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation both in Upper Arlington and across central Ohio. We remain committed to keeping our students in the classroom and utilizing the mitigation measures we have had in place throughout the pandemic. This includes increased cleaning and disinfecting protocols, frequent washing and sanitizing of hands, proper masking at all appropriate times in accordance with current Board of Education guidelines, and setting our HVAC systems to maximize outdoor air ventilation and minimize recirculated air.
We ask that families also continue to closely monitor students for possible symptoms. If your student is feeling ill, please consult this chart from public health officials to see if staying home or testing is recommended.
As you may know, rapid testing kits are in short supply across the country. At this point, our school district is essentially out of testing kits, and we are working to get more. You may contact your school about availability, or you can access the Ohio Department of Health’s COVID testing database to find locations where PCR tests are available.
The current surge in cases also has the potential to create significant staffing issues on short notice. While we have worked throughout the year to maintain or increase our pool of available substitutes in all areas, it is possible that some areas of service, such as transportation, Nutritional Services, School-Age Child Care (SACC) and teaching staff, could be impacted. If this were to happen, we would notify families as soon as possible.
The Ohio Department of Health recently updated its guidance regarding isolation and quarantine timelines to align with new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You can learn more about those changes at these links:
We will continue to keep families informed as school resumes. The members of the Board of Education continue to monitor the situation very closely and there will be a regular COVID briefing during the business meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 11.
Sincerely,
Paul Imhoff, Ed.D.
Superintendent, Upper Arlington Schools