All Strongsville Students Will Wear Masks At School

STRONGSVILLE, OH — All Strongsville students, preschool through 12th grade, will be required to wear facial coverings while on buses and in schools, the board of education announced.

Face shields will be an options for students, the board said. The policy will be discussed and formally enacted at the Aug. 6 meeting, said Superintendent Cameron Ryba in an email to the community.

All staff will be required to wear face coverings at all times, unless there is a medical reason preventing employees from wearing masks.

Strongsville Schools officials continue to discuss reopening plans for the 2020-2021 school year. Ryba said county leadership may recommend all schools begin the year with remote-only education.

The district previously announced its reopening plan would be linked to the state's COVID health alert system, which ranks counties by levels and colors. The higher the level, the worse the spread of COVID-19 is locally.

If Cuyahoga County is at Level 1 or 2, the Strongsville Schools will be open and will have in-person learning every day. If the county is at Level 4, schools will be closed and remote learning will proceed.

"The board and district administration are continuing discussions on local metrics that can be utilized at Level 3/Red to determine if it is safe to have schools open for all students or if a blended/remote structure would be implemented," Ryba said.

The next virtual community conversation on reopening will be held at 4 p.m. on Aug. 4. During that meeting, district leadership will share final details on the reopening plan.