By RAYMOND L. SMITH

Staff writer

YOUNGSTOWN — Administrators, teachers and custodians at Chaney High School are feverishly working to get the building prepared for 500 to 700 students returning to their classrooms.

It’s a little more than a week before most Youngstown City School District students will have a chance to return to in-person learning.

“We are excited to have our students back in our classrooms,” Chaney Principal Robert Kearns said. “Our big preparation is making sure our classrooms are set up with the proper distancing between desks, with desk shields and enough had sanitizers and water in each classroom.”

Kearns said the high school averages about 700 students per year. Because some students and parents may still be concerned about being exposed to the virus, however, Kearns expects about one-third fewer students will return to the building for the district’s final nine weeks of the academic year.

He said the average class size in the school prior to the pandemic was 18 students.

“We are in the newer part of this building, so our classrooms already were large for the average number of students we have,” Kearns said. “If we have one-third fewer students, we might already be within (Centers for Disease Control) guidelines.”

LONG WAIT

Chaney, like many schools in districts across the state, shut its doors in March 2020, when Gov. Mike DeWine ordered them to close for a three-week period. That temporary closure lasted through the remainder of the last school year.

Many districts in Ohio, however, began reopening in either hybrid or five-day per week models in the fall of the 2020-21 school year.

Youngstown, Cleveland, Akron and other districts remained in all-remote educational modes due to safety concerns expressed by school leaders, parents and others.

DeWine recently challenged all 609 Ohio school districts to reopen to in-person learning by March 15. Youngstown is one of the last districts to do so.

Sixth- through 12th-grade students will return Mondays and Fridays, beginning March 15.

Pre-kindergarten students through fifth-graders will return Tuesdays and Thursdays, beginning March 16. Also March 16, all students at Rayen Early College Middle School, regardless of grade level, will return to in-person instruction Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Wednesdays will be reserved for educator office hours, professional development and deep building cleaning.

Families still have the option to continue with remote instruction full time.

TEACHING

Amy Gordiejew, who teaches English as a second language, said the school year has had its ups and downs.

“Teaching over the internet has had its highlights,” she said. “We have gotten to know students … It has caused me to stretch in ways I had not done before. Of course, it’s always better to work in person with students.”

Those students returning for in-person learning and students lerning remotely will have the same teachers. Teachers will reach both groups simultaneously.

Kearns will have online meetings with parents on Wednesday to explain what will happen at the opening of the next quarter and through the remainder of the school year.

“I’ve had some parents reach out to us,” he said. “Most of the parents are really excited. The nice thing is our parents have a choice. We are going to take care of our students regardless of whether they are in our building or at home. ”

TEMP CHECKS

Large temperature scanners will be at the school’s entrance. These are able to pick up elevated temperatures of students entering the building. Students with elevated temps will be identified and privately checked by school nurses.

Students will have breakfasts in their classrooms, but they will eat lunch in the school cafeteria.

“There are desk shields on each of the cafeteria tables,” Kearns said. “We also are opening two additional rooms to be part of the cafeteria space.”

Students also will continue to have gym, but these will be more individualized fitness programs that students can do in their own space.

“There will be no shared equipment or close contact,” he said.

Directional arrows are being placed on the school’s floor and circles indicating students need to whenever possible stay 6 feet apart. The school also will be changing its staircases, so they are directional.

rsmith@tribtoday.com