All Strongsville Students Returning To School

STRONGSVILLE, OH — Despite an upgraded COVID-19 threat, the Strongsville Board of Education decided to bring all students back into classes starting Monday.

At an emergency board meeting held Friday evening, the board decided to move forward with reopening plans. All students will soon be back in classrooms.

As of Saturday morning, four Strongsville students have tested positive for COVID-19: two students at the middle school and two students at the high school.

The district asked 84 other students at the schools to quarantine after they were possibly exposed to the virus.

Then, on Thursday, the Ohio Department of Health reclassified Cuyahoga County as "red" for its high rate of COVID-19 spread and transmission. One of the early indicators for virus spread is outpatient visits, Gov. Mike DeWine said. Outpatient visits in Cuyahoga County have spiked dramatically over the past 10 days. Two weeks ago, the county was averaging 187 outpatient visits per day. By Oct. 13, the county was averaging 445 outpatient visits per day.

Additionally, the Greater Cleveland Congregations has called on Cuyahoga County public schools to provide frequent COVID-19 testing for students and staff. The Cuyahoga County Board of Health has set out guidelines for school districts to reopen. However, the congregations said the guidelines miss one crucial component: frequent COVID-19 testing for students, teachers and staff.