March 10, 2020

Dear Students and Parents/Guardians,

With the recent notification of three confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Cuyahoga County, the Chagrin Falls Exempted Village School District feels it is important to share additional information regarding our planning and take appropriate next steps to ensure preparedness.  This email not only provides an update on our work but also requests critical information from you as we move into the next phase of planning. 

To ensure that all staff are comfortable, prepared and can establish and test these systems we highlight below with students, we have made the decision to cancel school for all students on Friday, March 13, 2020.   

Please read this entire communication for further explanation.

In a prior communication, we shared that the technology department was leading our work to actuate a plan to ensure continuity of learning across our District in the event of increased absences and / or school closure for an extended period of time. This Flexible Plan for our Instructional Community articulates adaptations to teaching practices that might be necessary to support our students’ well-being and academic learning over a time period we may not physically be in our classrooms. The plan has been developed in response to the following three scenarios:

THE “LEVEL 1” SCENARIO 
School is open and there are increased absences. Students and adults are absent more frequently and in greater numbers. In this Level, the focus is on preparation for further levels and sharing of information with absent students to maintain pace with the curriculum.

THE “LEVEL 2” SCENARIO 
School is open, but with significant and prolonged absences of students or staff. This level focuses on ensuring instructional continuity in a hybrid model where some students are physically present, some are virtually present, and others are absent. 

THE “LEVEL 3” SCENARIO 
There are substantial staff and / or student absences. The District or specific building is closed; classes are held online.

Each of these scenarios has been planned for and are addressed in a document for staff that articulates how we will leverage technology to create a flexible learning environment that ensures the continuity of education for our students. We are currently finalizing these plans with building administrators and teacher leadership. I have made the decision to move the District into Level 1 of this plan. This requires assistance and additional information from our families. At this time, here is what you can do to assist the District:

  • Parents and Guardians of Pre-K - 3rd Grade Students - Prior to Spring Break, please complete the following survey IF you do not have internet access AND / OR you do not have a device (desktop, laptop or chromebook) that your child could utilize on a consistent basis if we are in Level 3. Please note, do not consider an older sibling’s school chromebook as an accessible device as they will need to be utilizing this for educational access. Also, consider your child’s potential working location during an extended absence from school (i.e. if he/she would need to be at a family member, friend, or neighbor’s home, this may impact how you respond to these questions). In grades Pre-K-3rd Grade, we will provide District chromebooks ONLY to students in need of them based on this survey: https://tinyurl.com/PreK-3Survey 

  • Parents and Guardians of 4th-12th Grade Students - Prior to Spring Break, please complete the following survey if there are internet accessibility issues at home. Consider your child’s potential working location during an extended absence from school (i.e. if he/she would need to be at a family member, friend, or neighbor’s home, this may impact how you respond to these questions.) https://tinyurl.com/4-12CFSurvey 

  • Begin planning at home for the possibility of your child having an extended absence from school. This includes making arrangements for supervision. If there are conflicts with job responsibilities, it may be an appropriate time to begin conversations with your employer to discuss options for flexibility. 


  • Do not send your child to school if he/she is ill or has any flu like symptoms. Any student should be fever free without medication for a minimum of 24 hours prior to returning to school.

  • If anyone in your family is diagnosed with COVID-19, please report this immediately to the school district at 440-247-4363.

Level 1 of our plan also articulates the necessary teacher preparation to be ready to ensure that we can seamlessly transition into an online environment. We are very fortunate to have staff with a high level of background, training, and experience in accessing and using online tools. However, to ensure that all staff are comfortable, prepared and can establish and test these systems with students, we have made the decision to cancel school for all students on Friday, March 13, 2020.   All current information, including recent decisions being made by other Ohio districts, private schools, and state colleges/universities, suggests that this pandemic will become more pervasive in the next month, after significant travel occurs across our nation. Our early planning will allow us to be proactive and thoughtful in our preparation. School will be back in session on Monday. We will utilize Monday and Tuesday of next week to ensure our students and families have appropriate access to information. All of this work is to ensure preparedness for our staff, students and parents. 

Finally, we have placed a variety of resources and all District communications at the following site: https://sites.google.com/chagrinschools.org/flexible-learning-plan/ . We appreciate your cooperation and ongoing support during this evolving situation.  


Robert W. Hunt, Ph.D. 
Superintendent
Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools