Dear Fairbanks Families,

Hope you are all doing well and having a great start to you Thursday. Please watch the video below and read the following message.

Fairbanks Local Schools - Learning Level Update - January 14, 2021

Learning Level 1 - Phase In

Fairbanks Local Schools will begin to phase in Learning Level 1 for students over the next several weeks. We will continue to monitor our COVID-19 data during this time period to see if adjustments need to be made. Please read through the dates below: 

  • Tuesday, January 19 Kindergarten -5th grade students will return to 4 days a week of in person learning, leaving Wednesdays for cleaning and a remote learning day for students. 

  • Middle and High School students will phase in with a date to be determined over the coming weeks

Work Group Reporting

During the month of December our Reopening Work Group met four times to address district planning. The report below influenced the recommendations that were made and approved last night. This report has been shared in our updates since December 30th. Please review the report from our work group meetings: Work Group Report

New School Quarantine Recommendations and Vaccine 

On Wednesday, December 30th,  Governor DeWine announced new school quarantine recommendations when the exposure is in a classroom. A Ohio Department of Health  study produced results that led to the new recommendations. School districts have been seeking clarity since the original announcement. Here is the guidance that came out from the state: New Quarantine Guidelines.

If the exposure occurs in the classroom with parties wearing masks and other precautions in place (ie. cleaning, hand hygiene), the following recommendations have been made:

  • If your student’s classroom exposure was 6 feet or beyond: no restrictions 

  • If your student’s classroom exposure was within 3-6 feet: may attend class, but no extracurricular activities

  • If your student’s classroom exposure was less than 3 feet: traditional, at-home quarantine for 14 days.

  • We expect continued clarification over the coming days. As changes occur we will update our school community. 

This is still a quarantine and students who have been exposed should not engage in unregulated activities such as sports or other activities. These recommendations are challenging to communicate in simple terms and will cause frustration. Our goal is to continue following recommendations to create a safe environment for students and staff while trying to get students back to face-to-face instruction as much as possible. 

Classroom Barriers

At this time, classroom barriers will not be required to be put up based on the new recommendations shared above. However, teachers will have discretion to put them up in classrooms. This could be due to limited spacing or other concerns. Parents that would like their student to use a barrier should reach out to the classroom teacher or building administrator to make arrangements. 

Thank you for continued support as we evolve our understanding of the impact of COVID-19 in our schools. Please reach out with any questions that you may have. My email address is adhamschirg@fairbankspanthers.org or call me at (937) 349-3731 ext 1202. Have a great day!

For Fairbanks,

Adham