–by Sylvania AdVantage Staff
PUBLICATION DATE: Sep 14, 2020

Sylvania welcomes students into the buildings
On Monday, Sept. 14, Sylvania Schools will reopen for its students under the Hybrid Learning Model. The district has a number of protocols in place for the safety and well being of students and staff. Along with the new protocols this year, there are a variety of visual cues in the buildings to remind students to socially distance, wear masks, and wash their hands. Hallways now have directional signs to help manage the flow of students in the hallway. The school year started on Aug. 31 with remote learning. While teachers have been conducting live remote sessions with students, they are excited to welcome students into the classroom. Dr. Motley, Sylvania Schools superintendent, shared “I am eagerly looking forward to visiting with our students and staff in each of our buildings across the district. Due to COVID restraints, this will be my first opportunity to see at least 50 percent of our Sylvania students in a traditional learning environment. I’ve been looking forward to this moment for months!”
Furthermore, Dr. Motley stated “I continue to be impressed by our parents, administrators, teachers, and staff. They are exceptional! They have worked extremely hard to learn a new platform, design, and provide remote lessons for our students over the past two weeks, and have already started to plan and prepare for our Hybrid model which starts on Monday. I am so impressed by our Sylvania teachers. Their dedication to our students and Sylvania families is beyond reproach.”
Prior to the pandemic, Sylvania Schools was prepared with an efficient and effective tool for disinfecting their buildings. For the last couple of years, the district has been using Clorox Total 360 Electrostatic Sprayers to disinfect its buildings. There is one in each of the twelve schools. Custodians are able to disinfect entire classrooms and offices in minutes with this machine. The advantage of using this cleaning tool in the school system is that it reaches surfaces outside the line of sight. With just a few minutes of spraying in a classroom, it disinfects the sides, underside, and backside of surfaces. Utilizing this tool is just one of the cleaning protocols for health and safety that is in place in the schools.

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Sylvania Schools continue to refine reopening plan
This week Dr. Motley launched both an Elementary and Secondary Phase II School Reopening Committee. The participants for each committee include parents, teachers, administrators and members of the Sylvania Board of Education. The purpose of the committee’s work is to provide input and perspective that will guide and refine the next phase of reopening schools that will ultimately provide more consistent, in-person instruction for all students. The district recognizes that children thrive academically, socially and emotionally when supported by teachers and other staff members in a traditional learning environment. The goal is to explore as many options as possible that speak to the community’s legacy of high expectations, and that provide a competitive, well-rounded education for all students while operating under the current restraints and conditions.