Dear families,
Hello, everyone, and happy Friday! You can view my video update for the week here.
We have had a great week in our schools as we welcomed all of our school-based students back for all-in learning. It was incredible to see our students back together again!
I’d also like to give a shoutout to our students and families in the Upper Arlington Online Academy. We have students new to the OA and students continuing their learning in the OA - and we hope you’ve had a fantastic week as well!
Spring break travel reminders
As we head into spring break the week of March 15, please be aware of the following guidance on COVID-19 and travel.
If you are leaving the state of Ohio and traveling within the United States, please check to see if your destination is on Ohio's COVID-19 Travel Advisory list of states reporting positive testing rates of 15% or higher for COVID-19. The list of states is updated every Wednesday. Franklin County Public Health recommends quarantining for 10 days if you have traveled to any state reporting positive testing rates of 15% or higher for COVID-19). Please note that if the state you have traveled to is added to the list while you are there, it is advised that your student quarantine before returning to school.
If you are planning to travel outside the country, the CDC recommends people should quarantine upon returning. This is even if they had to have a negative test before returning to Ohio. Franklin County recommends quarantining for 10 days after returning from international travel. The CDC provides additional information on international travel here.
COVID-19 reporting reminder
We truly appreciate all of our students continuing to follow our safety precautions and protocols during the school day. And we appreciate all that our families are doing at home - including self-assessments before school each day, monitoring for symptoms and contacting us if anyone in your family is awaiting test results or does test positive for COVID-19.
If your student or another member of your household has a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19, please notify COVID Nurse Coordinator Gina Rancitelli, RN, BSN, LSN, at [email protected] or 614-487-5035. Reporting confirmed and suspected cases is important for a few reasons. It allows us to better support students in their learning while they may not be feeling well, to plan for their safe return to school, and to track their resulting period (90 days) of presumed immunity when they wouldn’t have to quarantine due to an exposure. We appreciate your support with this.
Women’s History Month
Finally, this month we are celebrating Women’s History Month, and we are excited to honor the contributions of the many women who have made a difference here in Ohio and around the world.
Last year was the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment and the right to vote for women. On June 16, 1919, Ohio became the fifth state to vote for the ratification of the amendment to guarantee women the right to vote, and about a year later, the amendment was incorporated into the United States Constitution. This was a watershed moment for women’s rights and for women seeking elected office. As a result, six women were elected in 1922 to Ohio's 85th General Assembly - two in the state Senate and four to the House of Representatives. Since then, more than 150 women have served in the halls of the Ohio Capitol. One of them, Jo Ann Davidson, who represented parts of Franklin County, became the first woman elected as the speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1995.
That does it for my update this week. I hope you have a great weekend, and as always go Bears!
Sincerely,
Paul Imhoff, Ed.D.
Superintendent, Upper Arlington Schools