April 20 Update (3:45 p.m.)

On Monday, April 20, 2020, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine ordered that all Ohio school buildings remain closed to students for the remainder of the 2019-2020 academic year due to the COVID-19 health crisis.

I know that the governor’s order to keep the school buildings closed for the rest of the year presents a challenge to many of our families. Mariemont City Schools is working diligently to partner with you to ensure the best for your child’s education and well-being.

Although school buildings are closed, the Remote Learning Program will continue through the remainder of the school year. As of now, we plan to maintain the school calendar, and the last day for students in grades K-11 will be Friday, June 5, 2020 (the last day of school for Mariemont High School seniors is Monday, May 18 with exams following on May 19-21). All information regarding the Remote Learning Program, including grade level schedules and daily instruction, can be found online here.

While this is certainly a frustrating period for us all, Mariemont City Schools is committed to making this as stress-free as possible. If you or your child(ren) is having difficulty with the workload of the Remote Learning Program, please reach out to a teacher or principal so the instruction can be adjusted.

With the prolonged closure of school buildings and facilities, we will again be examining the activities calendar for the remainder of the school year. We will be looking at all spring events including those scheduled in June and those with alternative dates set for June, to determine the likelihood of holding these events along with potential options for alternative ways to hold events. We will communicate more with you in the coming weeks.

I have convened a Recovery Task Force that is establishing procedures and protocols for both closing out the 2019-20 school year and safely opening the 2020-21 school year. I want to be prepared for whatever situation presents itself in the fall, whether things have returned to normal or we continue to operate under a modified instruction plan. The task force is meeting regularly to sort through the guidelines and recommendations from local and national health officials to determine a course of action.

We also are working through options for our end-of-year building clean out and how to safely return any supplies or personal items left in student lockers or classrooms. Again, we will communicate the plan with you soon.

All athletics program activities remain cancelled. We will await further guidance from the Ohio High School Athletics Association (OHSAA) regarding plans for the summer.

As we have been communicating, Mariemont City Schools is committed to making sure all students and families have what they need during the extended school building closure. If you or someone you know needs assistance, please visit www.mariemontschools.org/INeedHelp.

As always, be sure to check the Coronavirus Update webpage of the district website for the latest information. Should you have additional questions, you can email [email protected] or submit them through the Coronavirus Updates webpage.

I want to thank you for your continued patience and cooperation during these unprecedented times. We will continue to work through this situation together and will become stronger because of it.

Sincerely,

Steven Estepp
Mariemont City Schools Superintendent