Dear Highland Parents,

On July 2, Governor DeWine provided reopening guidelines for Ohio schools. In addition to that guidance, the district has been carefully studying and reviewing a variety of other scientific, medical and public health research and information to help inform our decision-making. Those resources serving as primary references for us include the following:    

• COVID-19 Health and Prevention Guidance for Ohio K-12 Schools, Ohio Department of Health;
• COVID-19 Planning Considerations: Guidance for School Re-entry /Clinical Guidance/, American Academy of Pediatrics;
• COVID-19: Recommendations for School Reopening, SickKids;
• Coronavirus Resource Center, Johns Hopkins University;
• COVID-19 Data Dashboard, Medina County Department of Health; and
• Recommendations and research from the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization. 

Based on the information currently available to us, including the latest COVID data as reported by the Medina County Health Department, we have made the decision that the Highland Local School District will reopen for students, in-person, 5 days a week (with specific health and safety provisions in place). Our collective goal must be to not only simply return students to school, but to do so in a way that is as safe as possible for all students and staff. 

2020 Highland Athletic Summer Camps have finally been announced!  We are excited to welcome you back to our facilities and look forward to providing a safe and fun camp experience for your child! All dates and times are listed in the attached flyer, as well as instructions on how to register.

Please be aware that dates and times are subject to change and camps are only accepting a limited number of registrants due to social distancing guidelines. The district will be following strict cleaning and disinfecting protocols, as well as social distancing guidelines. The wearing of facemasks is recommended when not actively taking part in one of the camps. We ask that if participants are not feeling well, please stay home. 

Coaches of each camp will communicate additional specific information for both students and parents upon registration. Questions about one of the camps? Please contact the coach listed.

DOWNLOAD FLYER AND REGISTRATION HERE

On Monday, July 6 and Tuesday, July 7, our PowerSchool server will be unavailable as we begin to rollover information for the 2020-21 school year. Please note: Information that may be visible to parents and students once PowerSchool is back online, including class schedules, bus numbers and homeroom teacher, has not been finalized.

Due to COVID-19 and based on guidance offered from the Ohio Department of Education, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Job and Family Services and Governor DeWine, the Highland Schools will be unable to serve any typical peers in our Little Hornets Preschool Program for the upcoming 2020-21 academic year.  

New requirements allow for no more than nine students in a preschool classroom due to social distancing guidelines. Unfortunately, these new requirements will completely alter the way in which we operate our preschool program. Currently, our program has 16 students in each classroom -- eight typical peers, eight with special needs. Moving forward, this will no longer be the case.

Public schools are not required to provide preschool for typical students. However, they are required to provide preschool for students with special needs. Our program will need to keep space available to serve our students with special needs. 

We understand that this information is disappointing for some families, but we wanted to offer ample notice so that parents can make other arrangements for their student(s).