Some of Ohio’s k-12 school districts will hold online classes at first, while others are trying a hybrid of remote and in person learning. Education leaders say it’s important the schools have proper precautions in place when they do reopen to students. The state’s largest teacher’s union says schools that reopen for in-person classes need to take a lot of costly precautions.
The Ohio Education Association’s Scott DiMauro says schools have a lot of costs to reopen safely.
“Hand sanitizer, plexiglass. I know that upgrading HVAC systems is really critical," DiMauro says.
Though there’s a national shortage of school nurses, DiMauro says all schools should have a nurse onsite to deal with COVID, and he says teachers and students must have the equipment and broadband to make the learning effective. The progressive think tank Policy Matters Ohio says more federal money needs to come in to help schools, which lost $300 million in state budget cuts in June.