By TPS Staff
Special to The Truth
Preparations for the 2021-22 school year are well underway. At this time,
we are excited to say students will be returning to school on a five-day a
week schedule for in-person instruction.
While we are planning to return to school in as normal of a setting as
possible, we will continue to monitor COVID-19 infection rates in our area
and make decisions about school and district operations based on
information from the Toledo-Lucas County Health Department and other
regulatory agencies. We will follow these safety protocols:
• Students in grades Pre-K-8 will be required to wear masks/face coverings
while in school.
* A majority of this age group is not currently eligible to receive the
coronavirus vaccine, so this simple preventative measure is one way to
protect students and help prevent the spread of the virus.
• Students who utilize TPS transportation services will be required to wear
a mask/face covering when riding the bus to and from school.
• Masks/face coverings are strongly recommended for high school students
and staff members, especially those who have not yet been vaccinated or are
not eligible yet for the vaccine. However, this is optional.
• We encourage everyone – staff and students – to continue with daily
health monitoring. If you are not feeling well or are exhibiting COVID-19
symptoms, stay home from school/work and contact your doctor.
• We will continue to practice social distancing whenever possible,
especially in classrooms, offices and other areas in our schools or offices
where large numbers of people congregate.
• We will continue to reinforce COVID-19 safety guidelines as we work to
contain the spread of the virus. This includes daily cleaning and the
sanitizing/disinfecting of hard surfaces and classrooms/offices; we also
ask that everyone continue with frequent hand washing or sanitizing and
sneezing into a tissue or their sleeve.
Virtual Academy:
• As a reminder, Toledo Public Schools will again offer an online learning
option for interested students for the 2021-22 school year. The deadline to
register is Tuesday, August 3, for those students wishing to enroll in the
Virtual Academy for the upcoming school year. The Virtual Academy is open
to students in grades 1 through 12 and all students will be provided with
Chromebooks and Internet service, if needed.
• To complete the online registration form, please visit tps.org and go to
TPS News for a link. Students who attended last year’s Virtual Academy MUST
fill out an application to be considered for the 2021-2022 Virtual Academy;
those students who attended the academy last year and wish to return to
their home school can do so without filling out additional paperwork – your
files have been transferred back to that school. Please call 419-671-5100
with any questions or email virtual-academy@tps.org. All families will be
contacted no later than Tuesday, August 10th with a status update on their
application.
• The health and well-being of our students and staff members continue to be
the number one priority for Toledo Public Schools. While we are planning to
return to school with appropriate safety protocols in place, it is
important to note that our plans may change based on COVID-19 rates and
recommendations from the health department. Our plans must also align with
various agencies as they administer new laws/guidelines, such as the CDC’s
recent recommendation about masking and the passage of Ohio HB 244, which
prohibits districts from discriminating against unvaccinated individuals.