Teachers, students, parents, and administrators in Northeast Ohio and across the state are preparing for the beginning of the 2020 - 2021 school year. With the start of school just about a month away, teachers would normally be focused on creating lesson plans while students would be thinking about seeing classmates again. But now is anything but normal. Cases of COVID-19, the illness caused by the novel coronavirus, are surging; the Ohio Department of Health reports nearly 75-thousand total cases and nearly 32-hundred total deaths. The latest numbers show over 26-hundred new cases just over the past weekend. Superintendents and administrators have the daunting task of figuring out how to return to educating their students and keeping them safe. If social distancing and other safety guidelines are adhered to, how will classrooms and hallways be organized? If a student or teacher gets sick do you quarantine the entire classroom? When it comes to remote learning, does every student have a computer and internet access? Countless other questions remain... There's been little guidance from the federal level, President Trump and Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos have urged schools to restart in the fall, even as cases surge in many states. The Centers for Disease Control announced last week they're delaying their official guidelines for reopenings... And now, 4 months after school buildings were vacated, districts around the country are starting to release their plans for the upcoming school year. This hour we'll talk to various school CEOs and Superintendents about their plans for classes to resume.

Guests:
Dr. David Glasner, Superintendent, Shaker Heights City Schools

Justin Jennnings, Chief Executive Officer, Youngstown City Schools

Jodie Hausmann, Superintendent, Bay Village City Schools

Dr. Henry Pettiegrew, Chief Executive Officer, East Cleveland Public Schools