Dear CH-UH Families,

Happy Halloween Weekend! I hope you and your students had a great week. I’m writing to share updates on happenings in the District.

During last night’s Board of Education meeting, the Board voted to continue the 2020-2021 school year in a remote status until at least November 30. The motion also specified that if the Cuyahoga County Public Health Advisory Alert Level is upgraded to 4 (purple), all students would move to remote learning. 

I made this recommendation to the Board because Thursday’s announcement that Cuyahoga County remained in Level 3 was a surprise, given that the county was trending toward a Level 4 (purple) alert. I feel strongly that we need to see more trend data over the next several weeks in order to make an informed decision for the second quarter. The Board and I want to bring our students back to school as soon as possible, but only when it is safe to do so. It’s important to note that when that time comes, families will still have the option of keeping their children home to learn remotely. 

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. These services continue to align with the Cuyahoga County Board of Health’s guidance for school districts at the county's current level 3 designation. 

The Board will revisit this decision and discuss recommendations for the remainder of Quarter 2 (December 1 - January 15) at the November 10 Board meeting at 7 p.m.; watch live on our YouTube channel.

Parent-teacher conferences concluded this morning for elementary students. Thank you to all of those families who attended, and thank you to the teachers and staff who made the conferences informative and engaging. 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 Tuesday, November 3 (Election Day) for a staff professional development day. 

Although there is no school on Tuesday, November 3, meal pickup times and locations will remain the same. The District is also adding a mobile route in the Oxford Elementary neighborhood on Tuesdays and Thursdays, starting on November 3. Meals will be distributed from 12:15 p.m. - 1:10 p.m. along the route detailed here. 

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 tomorrow, October 31. You can return your ballot a few different ways in Cuyahoga County:

By mail with 70¢ postage, postmarked by November 2

The 24/7 drop box at 2925 Euclid Avenue

The Campus International School collection site (limited hours) at 3100 Chester Avenue

For Vote-by-Mail tips and collection site hours, visit www.443Vote.us. District schools serving as polling locations on Tuesday are Canterbury Elementary, Gearity Elementary, Fairfax Elementary and Delisle Options Center.

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.

The Literacy Cooperative is pleased to offer free books for all children under age 5 in Cuyahoga County through Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Parents of children 4 ½ years old and younger can enroll online at literacycooperative.org or by texting FREEBOOKS to 313131 to receive free, brand new, high quality books mailed to their home each month until the child turns five. For more information, please contact Joan Spoerl, Imagination Library Director, at [email protected].

Finally, check out October’s Tiger Nation Month in Review newsletter - hot off the virtual presses today, it’s filled with good news in our District.

Have a fun and safe weekend with your loved ones! 

Superintendent Kirby