We’ll be sending you regular updates during this extended closure to share any new information and to remind you about previous messages we don’t want you to have missed. Some updates will be shorter and some will be longer, but we’ll be staying in touch.
Even though our schools and offices are closed, our faculty and staff are still committed to working hard each day on behalf of every student and family.
What’s New
All District and City of Shaker Heights playgrounds are closed, per Gov. DeWine’s Stay-at-Home Order. In addition, the Shaker Heights High School track and field is locked and closed until further notice.
Previously planned foundation and excavation projects have begun this week at Boulevard and Mercer Elementary Schools. Crews have installed fencing around the work zones at both buildings. On Wednesday, crews at both buildings will cut down selected trees that impact the foundation work. Any tree that is removed as a part of the project will be replaced with two new trees at the same site. At Boulevard, crews will begin work on the east side of the building and at Mercer, crews will work on the north and south sides of the building.
International Baccalaureate has announced that the May 2020 IB Diploma Programme exams will no longer be held. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.
The College Board has announced that traditional Advanced Placement exam administrations will not take place. Students will take a 45-minute online free-response exam at home. Additional information will be shared as it becomes available.
Read Shaker Heights Schools Superintendent David Glasner’s op-ed “Crisis shows why we shouldn’t take public schools for granted,” which appeared online today in The Cleveland Jewish News. Dr. Glasner writes, “While the current public health crisis may have forced the public’s attention away from the pending voucher expansion, the coronavirus outbreak actually provides a stark reminder to legislators and community members of what can happen when public school services disappear.”
Coming Up
The District anticipates moving to Level 3 for all students, faculty and staff on Monday, April 6. We encourage parents, guardians and students to check email regularly for updated information on distance learning, assignments and classroom office hours. Please review the Extended School Closure Plan for an explanation of Level 3 and visit Learning & Teaching Plans and Resources for grade-specific information.
Reminders
Parents/guardians of K-4 students who received a District-issued device should review these instructions for how to log in to a Shaker Heights Schools Chromebook before logging in to District-issued devices.
During this extended closure, we encourage our school community to check email frequently, as this is the primary mode of sharing information from the District. If you are not receiving District emails, please follow the instructions for Using Express Update to Update Your Student's Information. Completing this process ensures that we have the most up-to-date contact information for families.
During this extended closure, the District may utilize text messaging more frequently to ensure that all families received updated information. Sign up for text messaging by texting Y to 67587 from your phone number of record with the District.
Meals for students will be delivered throughout Spring Break and will continue until further notice. Distribution times and locations will continue following the Extended Closure Meal Distribution Plan. Please note that distribution days will be Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Monday: Distribution of Monday lunch and Tuesday breakfast.
Tuesday: Distribution of lunches on Tuesday and Wednesday. Breakfast for two days will be included.
Thursday: Distribution of lunch on Thursday and Friday. Breakfast for two days will be included.
Our website, shaker.org, includes a new Extended Closure Resources section. Please use this section as your go-to resource for information from the District regarding the extended closure plan and resources.
All school buildings now have official Facebook pages. We encourage families and students on Facebook to follow these new pages, which will be updated daily. Moving forward, principals will share morning announcements and other important and useful building-level information on these Facebook pages. Buildings also will share this same information via email with students in Grades 5-12 and all families with students in Grades PreK-12. Be sure to “Like” your student’s building Facebook page: