SIDNEY — 2020 was a year like no other in the history of Fairlawn Local Schools. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 was a challenging year.

“Our district and community stepped up to the challenges and were committed to provide a meaningful education to our students,” said Superintendent Connie Schneider. “We could not be more proud of the work that the entire district staff has done to provide the best possible education for our students during this unprecedented time in our lives. Our entire staff and community have demonstrated resilience, optimism, and the ability to turn adversity into opportunity. We had to learn to be flexible, learn, and grow to make this all possible. Our staff and students were asked to do things differently; this difference created new learning pathways and helped prepare our students for a bright future. While there were undoubtably academic gaps that may have occurred, we believe they will be recovered as young people will rise to the challenge and continue to make the necessary gains and complete the necessary curriculum to become successful, contributing adults.”

Her repor continues:

Due to the closure of school in March, we enhanced our technology by providing chrome books and ipads to all students. We were able to provide hot spots to parents who did not have internet access. We were able to purchase chrome books with a built-in hot spot with Cares Act monies. By utilizing our Teams programming, our teachers were able to interact with students even if it was on a limited basis. While the learning curve was huge, it was beneficial overall as we now have the ability to provide additional learning opportunities to our students.

A primary focus for 2020 was to provide healthy, safe environment to all students and staff while returning to face-to-face instruction. Our students had not been in school for more than 150 days when we returned to school in the fall. We have been able to meet that goal and have made every effort to follow the guidelines established by the Ohio Department of Health.

The value of athletics, activities, and the arts in schools is significant and cannot be overlooked. It has a profound impact on individuals, schools, and communities. These programs are powerful because they can bridge gaps, bring people who otherwise might not interact together, and provide opportunities not available elsewhere. With the pandemic, activities and athletics came to a screeching halt. We have worked hard to make sure that our students have been able to have these things, even if on a limited basis.

Fairlawn Local School is committed to striving to provide the best education possible and to supporting our students and families in 2021.