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The staff of the Toledo
Public Schools are preparing their plans to equip 50 buses
with food items, services for special needs students and
mental health professionals in order to take their show on
the road on September 8 as schools reopen virtually. As the
staff recognize, not all of the district’s families’ needs
can be met virtually.
A large percentage of
students within the district are on meal plans typically
provided at school; special needs students often need some
adaptive materials that must be delivered to them and school
officials are particularly concerned about the impact that a
lack of socialization may have had on any number of
students.
TPS has established a red,
yellow, green light system for re-opening schools this fall.
The Red Light stage, which will be operative on September 8,
is a full virtual educational experience. According to
Romules Durant, EdD, there is a chrome book in every
student’s home now, along with WiFi.
As the school year
progresses, it is hoped that the Yellow Light stage can be
activated – part time in school on alternating days for
students. The Green Light will provide the option of a
full-time in-person education experience.
However, the Red Light
presents the challenges noted above – proving food, adaptive
materials and mental health counseling due to lack of
socialization.
“In the springtime, mental
health was a big concern,” says Durant with respect to the
third aspect of the buses’ tasks. “Socialization is a key
component of education and having an elevated social
intelligence quotient is critical to success. In a digital
age, we find that students have the means to communicate,
but they can’t communicate. Social interaction is so
important.”
TPS has partnered with
other organizations, such as Connecting Kids to Meals, A
Renewed Mind, Health Partners of Western Ohio to ensure that
the buses have supplies and staff to assist students and
their families.
The critical part of the
success of the bus venture is getting families to contact
TPS to inform staff of their needs so that bus routes can be
effectively established. If you think your family will be
helped by these services, contact TPS by calling
419-671-0001 or through their website at tps.org.
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