Remote Learning

Roger Bacon will start the 2020/21 school year with an in-person, on-campus educational model. Teachers will be in the classroom providing instruction on a daily basis.The teacher/student and student/student relationships found in a traditional classroom setting are absolutely key to the academic and social environment found at Roger Bacon. However, given the current environment, integrating remote learning into this model is essential and necessary.

Per the Reset and Restart Planning Guide for Ohio Schools and Districts:

• “Remote learning will continue to play a role in the education experiences of Ohio’s students in some manner. At a minimum, should a school find it must close due to a flare-up of COVID-19, or should a student need to be quarantined, remote learning will be an important contributor to sustaining educational opportunities.”
• “Remote learning should be considered as an option for students for the entire school year, as many families will have higher-risk health concerns and/or may not feel comfortable with in-person instruction…”
• “…in-person attendance is important and conducive to learning.However, in the current pandemic environment, a focus on student attendance must be balanced with a priority for keeping students and employees safe and healthy.”

We understand there are several reasons students may not be able to or choose not to attend school in person:

• Health conditions make the wearing of a face covering either impossible or impractical.
• Family members of students may be in a health-compromised situation which makes the participation of the student in school undesirable.
• Students may be under quarantine for reasons related to COVID-19.
• Students are not comfortable with in-person instruction until the current health situation improves.

These students will have the option of attending Roger Bacon for part or all of school year 2020/21 remotely. For those students who choose to start the year remotely, the Director of Academics, Ms. Julie Vehorn (jvehorn@rogerbacon.org), must be notified via email no later than Wednesday, August 12^th.

Due to changing conditions, either at school or at home, a student may choose to attend remotely instead of in-person after the school year begins. In every instance, the Director of Academics needs to be informed before the change is implemented.

Several expectations for remote learning are as follows:

• Once the school year has begun, a student can choose to attend remotely during the school year.
• Once a student chooses to attend remotely, the student must stay in the remote mode until the end of the current quarter. At that time, the student can either continue remotely or choose to attend school in-person. Before the start of a new quarter, the Director of Academics must be notified of any change in status.
• Classes will be broadcast via Zoom so that students not able to be in the classroom can participate in the educational experience.
• Students will follow their normal class schedule and connect with the class via Zoom during normal class times.
• Students will be considered present for attendance purposes if they are either physically or electronically present in class. All attendance policies, including the excessive and chronic absenteeism policy according to state guidelines, remain in effect.
• Work expectations remain the same for students participating either in-person or remotely.
• Students requiring help/assistance are responsible for initiating meetings with their teachers or other students (i.e., peer tutoring).The preferred time for this is during the daily Flex period. Students attending remotely can request meetings via Zoom during this time.
• Students attending classes remotely are eligible to participate in extracurriculars and athletics when safety precautions can be met.
• All tuition and fees remain the same for students who attend remotely for either all or part of the school year.

Broadcasting classes via Zoom and allowing students to be “present” either physically or remotely, allows the greatest number of students in our school community to access a Roger Bacon education. It will also make the transition to more restrictive educational models easier if health and/or safety concerns require a move in that direction.

When making the decision to use the remote option, families need to ensure that internet connections are robust enough to handle the daily Zoom requirements, and a suitable learning environment can be established and maintained at home.

Most recently updated August 4, 2020