OSWEGO – The Oswego City School District announced today its preliminary plans for middle school and high school students to return in-person this winter.
In a letter sent home to families, OCSD Superintendent Dr. Mathis Calvin III updated the community by emphasizing the plan is for Oswego High School and Oswego Middle School students to return in person, ideally in the next 30 to 45 days. Both schools have been fully remote for students since the school year began.
“Reopening our secondary schools in the middle of this pandemic will not be an easy task, but we are moving forward with plans to do so,” Calvin said. “To be clear, our district is committed to reopening our schools in the near future and will do so in a comprehensive manner.”
Calvin added that the district is diligently working on its plans and that Oswego Middle School would reopen first with a tentative return date of Feb. 22 right after the district winter recess break in February.
Oswego High School would return shortly after the middle school, Calvin said, with a planned reopening in early March.
The district has already begun surveying all secondary parents to plan for the reopening, officials said. OMS and OHS families should have received these surveys electronically by now, but anyone who hasn’t should contact the school principal’s office to inform them.
“In an effort to implement our plans with maximum efficacy, the district has already assembled nearly 30 district stakeholders including parents, teachers, support staff, students, health officials, administrators and others to assist with reopening plans at the middle school,” Calvin said. “This team has been meeting for several weeks to solidify their plans.”
A group of stakeholders for the OHS group is also being assembled, officials noted, and a letter inviting parents and guardians to be part of the reopening – planning committee would be sent home next week. Those interested in being part of this process will be asked to contact OHS Principal Patrick Wallace.
The district’s reopening plans will be comprehensive, Calvin said, and will include implementation of measures to ensure the health and safety of the learning community aligned with state Department of Health and CDC COVID-19 regulations. The district will also provide schedules for continuity and consistency of learning, a transportation schedule that is socially distant and ongoing school-wide sanitation and cleaning.
“Please know, as we move forward I will be sharing additional school reopening information through our email blast system and through the local media,” Calvin said. “The district kindly asks our learning community to utilize these official resources as the go-to place for information.”
Elementary schools throughout the district are still planned to reopen with their in-person model Monday, Feb. 1.
Officials asked parents or guardians with questions moving forward are encouraged to contact their child’s principal directly.
I see the OMS/OHS reopening plans are posted. I hope they are doing it safely and with the education of students in mind. Were parents and students involved in this decision making process at all? I did not hear of anyone being asked to sit on a committee or meet. I know that some parents have been clamoring for reopening, but do they know it won’t be the same for their student? What if the numbers spike and we shut down again? That is almost worse for kids than not opening at all. I do hope all the questions were answered in a well thought out plan. My kids’ teachers are amazing, and I am so thankful for all they have done. I hope this plan allows the quality of education to continue.