Governor DeWine asked schools and districts to work with their communities to help students advance and make up for any learning that may have been lost or delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. He requested that schools and districts design plans to meet the needs of students that could include, but are not limited to, ending the school year later than scheduled, summer programs, tutoring or remote options, beginning the new year early or extending the school day. The plans are to be made available to the public and General Assembly no later than April 1.

School districts are tasked with developing a plan that takes into account which students have been the most impacted by the pandemic in terms of their learning progress, utilizing a needs survey to identify the needs of their students, budgeting resources to needs, determining the instructional approach, engaging local and regional partnerships to support student needs, and aligning the plan to reinforce other relevant plans such as the district improvement plan, graduation, and student wellness.

The Gallia-Vinton ESC has developed an online needs survey that can be utilized by the  local school districts to gauge their student needs. The link to the survey will be shared with the districts. An analysis of the results will be provided to give a snapshot of the identified needs. Congress has set aside funds through the CARES Act for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund to help districts provide for the needed services.