Dear Parents,

As we get ready to begin a new school year on August 25th, we are diligently preparing to once again offer a quality Catholic education in the safest and most welcoming environment possible.  

Franklin County is now identified as an area of high COVID-19 transmission by the CDC. This means we are seeing more than 100 new cases per 100,000 people and cases continue to increase which is fueled by the spread of the highly contagious Delta variant.
 
Due to current circumstances with COVID-19 and the Delta variant and because of our commitment to the common good, we are setting up three layers of protection for our children, teachers, and staff. The following three layers of protocols are temporary and will be evaluated every 30 days. They are designed with the desire to keep our students consistently in school and limit the possibility of illness, spread, and quarantine.  

  1.  All students Preschool-8th grade and all staff are required to wear a mask in the school building during the school day (unless medical or developmental conditions prohibit use. This is regardless of vaccination status.)
  2. Strategies to maximize physical distancing (at least 3 feet between desks and 6 ft when masks are off for eating)
  3. Documented COVID-19 prevention policies and procedures (frequent handwashing, increased ventilation, protocols for cleaning, ability to isolate individuals with symptoms, etc)

I know that within our community there are strong feelings and differing opinions about universal masking. We believe that universal masking along with the other two layers of protection will provide the best and most normal learning environment we can for our children in today’s current circumstances. Universal masking allows us to minimize the possibilities of quarantining and greatly increase the likelihood that our students can maintain full-time in-person learning and relatively normal school routines.  
  

In order to better help you understand how universal masking will help our students stay in school, please see the following ODH Fact Sheet and sample scenarios: 

The Diocese of Columbus has issued the following letter to assist parishes and schools in making local decisions based on individual circumstances. Due to the 15 different counties and variety of school communities, the Diocese is supporting each school in making the most appropriate decision for their students and community.



Please take a moment to review this presentation which outlines many of the protocols and procedures that will be in place as we begin the school year. Please keep in mind that we are planning to be flexible and will continually evaluate the situation and make appropriate changes and adaptations with our students' safety and well-being at the center of the decisions.  



In closing, we take your trust in us very seriously. We are committed to educating your children and to keeping them safe. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we continue to prepare to welcome our students back to school!

Kathy O'Reilly