Dear CH-UH Families,

I hope you and your families are doing well and staying healthy. I’m writing to share my weekly updates on happenings in the District.

During Tuesday’s Board of Education meeting, the Board voted to continue the 2020-2021 school year in a remote status until at least November 16. We will continue to offer in-person services to students with low-incidence disabilities, with the option to move to remote if their parents/guardians choose to do so. We will also continue with in-person third grade OST and gifted testing. In-person, small group instruction models continue to align with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health’s guidance for school districts at the county's current level 3 designation. At a meeting that I attended with them on Friday, October 23, they indicated that their guidance has not changed. We will continue to monitor the levels weekly.

This week, District planning committees met again to discuss the timeline for after November 16. The committees, which include staff, parents, teachers, and administrators, also shared updates and thoughts on building health and safety protocols, instruction, technology, attendance, and testing.

Before making the next recommendations to the Board, I also want to receive more trend data on COVID-19 levels in the county from the Cuyahoga County Board of Education. This will be discussed at the next Board meeting on Thursday, October 29 at 6:30 p.m.; watch live on our YouTube channel.

Parent-teacher conferences for elementary students will take place on October 29 from 1 to 7 p.m. and on October 30 from 8:30 to 11:45 a.m. High school conferences are on November 11 and middle school conferences are on November 12. Sign-up information is forthcoming from your school leaders and teachers.

Additionally, there is no school on October 29 for elementary students only. There is no school on October 30 for all students. These dates will serve as records and professional development days for staff.

For many years, the District provided students with “Blue Cards” on the first day of school for their parents/guardians to fill out important information, including emergency contacts and current email addresses & phone numbers. Beginning this year, the District is instead using the Infinite Campus Annual Update to collect this information.

To access your Annual Update, log in to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal and click More under Index. This document contains step-by-step instructions on how to complete the update. The process takes just a few minutes per student. It’s more important than ever to keep your contact information up to date.

Election Day is coming up quickly. If you don’t plan to vote in person between now and November 3, you can request an absentee ballot until noon on October 31. You can return your ballot a few different ways in Cuyahoga County:

On the ballot in November is Issue 69, the CH-UH City School District's additional operating levy. The 4.8-mill levy would cost a homeowner approximately $168 a year, or $14 a month, per $100,000 in home value. Read more about the levy here.

I hope you take time to take care of yourselves this weekend. Here is a great list of stress-reducing activities shared with me by Lisa Hunt, our Family Engagement Specialist. It’s branded for educators, but you all have certainly taken on such a role with your children this year (plus they’re great activities regardless of occupation). 

Sincerely,

Superintendent Kirby