Cleveland Students To Continue Remote Learning Through Jan. 22

Students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District (CMSD) will remain in remote learning through Jan. 22, the end of the second quarter.

In a recorded message to families Monday, CMSD CEO Eric Gordon said he’s concerned about an increase in COVID-19 cases following the winter holiday break.

“Public health experts anticipate this spike will continue to worsen through the holiday and into January, and possibly through February, before finally beginning to subside in early spring when COVID-19 vaccines are expected to begin reaching our communities,” he said.

The decision to continue virtual classes when school resumes Jan. 4 was based on consultation with public health experts and educators and feedback from CMSD families, Gordon said. The district plans to decide in early January whether to continue with virtual learning in the third academic quarter, but Gordon warned the winter months may continue to pose health risks.

“Public health officials also advise that February may be very challenging for our community and for this reason my team and I will continue to monitor public health data,” he said.

CMSD students have been learning remotely since the delayed start of the academic year in September. Gordon announced in October  the district would continue virtual classes for the remainder of 2020 as recommended by the Cuyahoga County Board of Health, due to the rise in coronavirus cases in Northeast Ohio. Just before the health department’s advisory, Gordon said he had planned to recommend the district move to a hybrid model of learning that allowed some students to return to in-person classes.

Earlier this month, the Ohio Education Association, the union representing most of the state’s teachers, recommended students learn remotely for two weeks when classes resume after winter break.