Message to School District Administrators on Staff Flexibility
Thank you so much for the work you are doing to keep Ohio’s students safe and well during this unprecedented statewide health emergency. We continue to hear stories of educators collaborating, innovating and stepping up to meet the basic needs of students. The ordered school-building closure period does not mean schools have stopped operating. We are collectively doing our best to ensure that learning continuity is taking place in this challenging environment.
While we sincerely appreciate the efforts being made to continue the education of Ohio’s students, we also have an expectation that you are working in a considerate and sensitive manner as you collaborate with employees. In keeping with the spirit of the Governor’s directives, educating students continues and requires the continuing service of employees. That said, the Governor also strongly encourages the use of remote work assignments whenever possible, and only requires employees onsite who cannot perform their job duties remotely. (Even for these employees, no one who is ill or may have a health condition that makes them particularly susceptible to illness should be required to report to work. Sick leave requests should be honored).
Professional development for staff can and should be delivered remotely as much as practicable. In those rare cases in which employees are asked to report to a physical work location, we strongly encourage you to practice social distancing and other safe health practices being recommended by our local and state health departments. This means avoiding in-person meetings when possible and limiting instances when individuals are required to be in the same space together without the ability to distance themselves from one another. Please be sure that we are doing everything in our abilities to keep our employees safe and healthy during this time period.
Again, thank you for everything you are doing for Ohio’s students.
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